Statement from the U.S. Attorney General on the Transfer of Seized Munitions from Iran to Ukraine

Merrick Garland, the U.S. Attorney General, announced on Wednesday that the United States will donate approximately 1.1 million rounds of 7.62mm ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces. The statement notes that this action reflects the U.S. Department of Justice's support for Ukraine's fight for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law against authoritarian regimes. According to the announcement, this ammunition was seized in December 2022 by the U.S. Navy from the stateless vessel Marwan 1, which had been loaded by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Vedant Patel, Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated on Wednesday during a press conference in response to a question about the transfer of seized weapons from the Islamic Republic to Ukraine: 'As CENTCOM and the Department of Defense have previously announced, these weapons, which were seized while being sent to the Houthis in Yemen, are now being provided to Ukraine for use in the war, and since these weapons have left the Islamic Republic and were seized by the U.S. military, their transfer to Ukraine does not violate the sanctions laws against the Islamic Republic.'