CNN
 — 

The US transferred hundreds of machine weapons, sniper rifles, rocket launchers and a whole bunch of hundreds of rounds of ammunition seized from Iran to Ukraine final week, US Central Command introduced on Tuesday.

Ukraine has been affected by shortages of weapons and munitions on the battlefield in its warfare towards Russia, with the US unable to ship extra tools from its personal stockpiles till extra funding is accepted by Congress.

CENTCOM stated the materiel transferred to Ukraine is sufficient to equip one Ukrainian brigade — round 4,000 personnel — with small-arms rifles. “These weapons will assist Ukraine defend towards Russia’s invasion,” CENTCOM stated in an announcement.

The munitions had been initially seized by the US navy and its companions “from 4 separate transiting stateless vessels between 22 Might 2021 to fifteen Feb 2023,” however the US authorities didn’t receive possession of the tools by way of the Justice Division’s civil forfeiture course of till December of final yr, CENTCOM stated.

It’s not the primary time the US has transferred seized Iranian navy tools to the Ukrainians. The US transferred over a million rounds of seized Iranian ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces in October, CNN beforehand reported. 

Over the previous yr, the US Navy has seized hundreds of Iranian assault rifles and a couple of million rounds of ammunition from vessels utilized by Iran to ship weapons to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The seizures, continuously carried out with regional accomplice forces, goal small stateless vessels on routes traditionally used to smuggle weapons to the Houthis.

For the final yr, the Biden administration has been working to legally ship the seized weapons, that are saved in CENTCOM amenities throughout the Center East, to the Ukrainians.