US wants to give Ukraine Iranian weapons meant for Houthis in Yemen

New Delhi: The US is exploring legal ways to send seized Iranian weapons to Ukraine. These weapons were originally meant for the Houthi rebels, but were seized off the coast of Yemen. The US is looking for room in the UN regulations to send the ceased rifles, rockets and ammunition to the battlefield in Ukraine, according to Wall Street Journal. Though the amount of the weapons is small compared to what the US and its allies have aided Ukrainian forces with over last year, US officials claimed it would be a symbolic response to Iran sending its Shahed drones to Russia. “It’s a message to take weapons meant to arm Iran’s proxies and flip them to achieve our priorities in Ukraine, where Iran is providing arms to Russia,” one unnamed US official was quoted as saying by the WSJ. The seized weapons consignment amounts to 5,000 rifles, 1.6 million rounds of ammunition for them, a score of anti-tank rockets and some 7,000 proximity fuses, according to the Journal. It was boarded by US and French sailors in the Gulf of Oman over the last several months. The Houthi deputy information minister, Nasr al-Din Amir, when asked about the idea of sending the weapons to Ukraine told the Journal, ““What change can this make to war?” “They’ve been sending much heavier weapons.” As of this week, according to the Pentagon, the US alone has provided Ukraine with over 100 million bullets. Last month, the US, Germany and UK announced they would deliver heavy tanks to Ukraine. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, at a meeting with NATO defence ministers in Brussels on Monday, admitted that “the current rate of Ukraine’s ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production,” which he claimed was straining the Western military industry and “depleting allied stockpiles.” Meanwhile, Russia has repeatedly warned the US and its allies that they would be directly involved in the conflict if they continue sending weapons to Ukraine. Russia has also said weaponising Ukraine will only prolong the war. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.