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U.S. sends Ukraine seized Iranian-made weapons

The transfer includes thousands of rifles and ammunition intercepted last year while in transit to Houthi militants in Yemen, officials said

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Updated April 9, 2024 at 7:16 p.m. EDT|Published April 9, 2024 at 12:12 p.m. EDT
A Ukrainian sniper in Nevelske, Ukraine, in 2022. (Serhiy Morgunov for The Washington Post)
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The Pentagon has provided Ukraine with thousands of Iranian-origin weapons seized en route to Houthi militants in Yemen, U.S. officials said Tuesday, marking the Biden administration’s latest infusion of emergency support for Kyiv while a multibillion-dollar aid package remains stalled in Congress.

The weapons include 5,000 Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, along with a half-million rounds of ammunition. They were discovered aboard four “stateless vessels” between 2021 and 2023 and made available for Ukraine through a Justice Department civil forfeiture program targeting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East.