Thousands of weapons supplied by Tehran and bound for Yemen were seized by the U.S. military last year and will now be transferred to aid Kyiv's forces. It is enough military hardware to equip at least a full infantry brigade – typically comprising 3,500 to 4,000 troops.

"On Apr. 4, 2024, the U.S. government transferred over 5,000 AK-47s, machine guns, sniper rifles, RPG-7s and over 500,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces. This constitutes enough materiel to equip one UKR BDE with small arms rifles. These weapons will help Ukraine defend against Russia's invasion," the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Tuesday via a post on X.

The U.S. government "obtained ownership of these munitions on December 1, 2023, through the Department of Justice's civil forfeiture claims against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," CENTCOM added.

The weapons and ordnance were seized by U.S. and partner naval forces from four separate transiting stateless vessels between May 22, 2021, and February 15, 2023. When seized, they were being transferred from the Guard Corps to Houthi rebels in Yemen in violation of the U.N. Security Council Resolution 2216, which placed an arms embargo on militant groups.

"Iran's support for armed groups threatens international and regional security, our forces, diplomatic personnel, and citizens in the region, as well as those of our partners. We will continue to do whatever we can to shed light on and stop Iran’s destabilizing activities," CENTCOM added.

The Biden administration has been working with its partners and allies to legally supply the seized weapons – which have been stored at CENTCOM facilities across the Middle East – to aid Ukraine. This is not the first time that the U.S. has transferred seized military equipment and ordnance from the Islamic Republic to aid the Ukrainian war effort. Last October, more than 1 million rounds of Iranian ammunition were supplied to the Ukrainian armed forces.

Kyiv has warned that it may face an ammunition shortage this year amid a lull in aid from the U.S., which had served as the largest single supplier of ammo to Kyiv.

Washington's support for Kyiv has waned in recent months as House Republicans have pushed back on President Joe Biden's request for additional military aid. House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated last week that he would call for a vote on a $95 billion foreign aid package that includes assistance for Ukraine and Israel, but he has faced calls for his ouster from hard-liners in his own party.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].