(A7) The US has transferred bullets seized from Iran to Ukraine to use in the war against Russia, US Central Command said Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.

The move came after a US Navy ship seized 1.1 million rounds off of a vessel that was being used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to arm Houthi rebels in Yemen’s civil war in violation of a UN Security Council resolution.

Those 7.62 mm rounds have now been transferred to Ukraine, US Central Command said.

The 7.62 mm ammunition is the standard round for Soviet-era Kalashnikov assault rifles and their many derivatives.

“With this weapons transfer, the Justice Department’s forfeiture actions against one authoritarian regime are now directly supporting the Ukrainian people’s fight against another authoritarian regime. We will continue to use every legal authority at our disposal to support Ukraine in their fight for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement quoted by AP.

The U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet and its allies have intercepted numerous ships believed to be transporting weapons and ammunition from Iran to Yemen in support of the Iranian-backed Houthis. This is the first time that the seized weaponry has been handed over to Ukraine, Central Command spokeswoman Capt. Abigail Hammock said.

This shipment was seized by Central Command naval forces in December off of a vessel the command described as a “stateless dhow,” a traditional wooden sailing ship, that was being used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to arm the Houthis.

US Central Command said the US “obtained ownership of these munitions on July 20, 2023, through the Department of Justice’s civil forfeiture claims against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”

A United Nations arms embargo has prohibited weapons transfers to the Houthis since 2014. Iran insists it adheres to the ban, even as it has long been transferring rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, missiles and other weaponry to the Houthis via the sea.

Notably, the US has long accused Iran of supplying Russia with drones used to bomb Ukrainian civilians as the Kremlin continues its invasion of Ukraine.

Last year, the US said it had intelligence indicating that Russia is looking to Iran for UAVs.

In June, a US intelligence finding said that Iran is providing Russia with materials to build a drone manufacturing plant east of Moscow as the Kremlin looks to lock in a steady supply of weaponry for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Both Russia and Iran deny the US accusations.

In response to Iran’s aid to Russia, Ukraine’s parliament recently approved a 50-year sanctions package against Iran.

The sanctions include a complete ban on trade operations, the transit of Iranian resources, flights, and transportation in the territory of Ukraine. In addition, any investment in Iran and the transfer of technologies and intellectual property rights by its residents will be prohibited.

The sanctions will also stop electronic means of payment with Iranians by Iranians, while the National Bank of Ukraine will be banned from registering any international payment system operated by Iran.