The US military is discussing the possibility of transferring intercepted Iranian weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, the newspaper reported. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) citing sources. The weapons were intercepted off the coast of Yemen in the past few months.
According to the WSJ, more than 5,000 assault rifles, 1.6 million rounds of ammunition, more than 7,000 proximity fuses, as well as a number of anti-tank missiles could be transferred to Ukraine. Their exact number is not specified. The weapons were intercepted from smugglers whom the United States suspects of having ties to Iran.
According to the UN arms embargo, the US must destroy, store or dispose of these weapons. According to the WSJ, US officials are now looking for a loophole that will allow them to bypass the restriction and transfer weapons to Ukraine.
Earlier, the United States and allies have repeatedly accused Iran of supplying weapons to the Yemeni Houthis. Iran denied this. The Houthis are also using Iranian Shahed-136 drones with a range of 2,000 km.
According to estimates by the US Congress, since the beginning of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the United States has provided Kiev with financial, military and humanitarian assistance in the amount of more than $110 billion, of which $27.4 billion has been for security needs. On February 3, Washington announced a new $2.175 billion military aid package to Ukraine.
