Washington - The U.S. military announced on Wednesday that it had dispatched more than 1 million rounds of Iranian ammunition to Ukraine, ammunition that had been confiscated in the previous year.

For several years now, U.S. naval forces have been intercepting weapons suspected to be of Iranian origin, intended for use by Iran-backed fighters in Yemen, typically transported via fishing vessels.

U.S. Central Command, responsible for military operations in the Middle East, disclosed that approximately 1.1 million 7.62 mm rounds were supplied to Ukraine. These rounds had originally been seized by U.S. naval forces in December 2022 while in transit from Iran's Revolutionary Guards to Houthi forces in Yemen.

"The U.S. is committed to collaborating with our allies and partners to thwart the illicit flow of Iranian weaponry in the region through all lawful means, including U.S. and U.N. sanctions, as well as interdiction efforts," stated Central Command.

However, it is important to note that this ammunition is unlikely to significantly impact the battlefield situation, given that Ukraine primarily seeks long-range weapons and air defense systems. The transfer of seized ammunition also does not alleviate concerns regarding the continued supply of Western arms to Kyiv.

In a recent development, the U.S. Congress did not allocate new funds for Ukraine in the stopgap U.S. spending bill passed to keep the federal government operational, underscoring a growing reluctance among some Republicans to provide financial support to Kyiv.

Last year, the Royal Navy of Britain reported seizing Iranian weapons, including surface-to-air missiles and cruise missile engines, from smugglers in international waters south of Iran. Yemen's Houthi movement has been embroiled in a conflict with a Saudi-led coalition since 2015, resulting in a devastating toll with hundreds of thousands of casualties and 80% of the population reliant on humanitarian aid.

The United States has exerted pressure on its ally Saudi Arabia to end its involvement in the Yemen conflict and has tied some U.S. military assistance to the kingdom to its disengagement from Yemen.