US hands Ukraine more than a million rounds of ammunition it seized from Iranian ship

Published

9 months ago

October 5, 2023

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The United States has sent over a million rounds of ammunition it seized from an Iranian ship last December to Ukraine.

Officials at the Pentagon have confirmed to Sky News the transfer of 1.1 million rounds of 7.62mm small arms ammunition to Ukraine took place on Monday this week.

The ammunition, standard rounds for Soviet-era Kalashnikov assault rifles and their derivatives used by the Ukrainian military, are understood to have been stored at US military facilities in the Middle East.

The move will help to alleviate an increasingly critical shortage of ammunition available to Ukraine as it continues its counteroffensive against Russia.

According to a statement released by the US military’s Central Command in Tampa, Florida, the rounds were seized by the US Navy in December when it intercepted a vessel in the Persian Gulf.

“These munitions were originally seized by US Central Command naval forces from the transiting stateless dhow Marwan 1, 9 December, 2022,” the statement said.

“The munitions were being transferred from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [Iranian military] to the Houthis in Yemen in violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216.”

The move raises legal questions because United Nations regulations require nations to destroy or store seized weapons.

US officials are using civil forfeiture tools to give them what they believe is the legal authority to make the transfers.

A Defence Department spokesperson told Sky News: “This forfeiture action is a product of the US government’s coordinated effort to enforce US sanctions against… the Iranian regime. On 20 July, 2023, a final order of forfeiture was issued by a US District Court.”

The spokesperson added: “Iran’s transfer of lethal aid to militant groups in Yemen violates United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2216 and international law and fuels regional instability. US support, in contrast, is provided in accordance with international law and to a recognised government defending its sovereign territory.”

It’s likely that the same pathway will be used to transfer more ammunition and weapons systems seized from Iran.

A US Justice Department document, published in March this year, reveals how a US Navy ship, the USS Lewis B Puller, intercepted a flagless vessel called the Marwan 1 in the Persian Gulf in December 2022.

“A security team from the USS Lewis B Puller boarded the Marwan 1, which was manned by 11 Somali nationals, one Kenyan national, and one Pakistani national. Items discovered by the security team, which were laden on board the Marwan 1, consisted of a cargo of munitions made for conventional weapons,” the document says.

The document explains how the weapons were concealed. “The Iranian Navy… loaded it with ammunition and explosives, prior to placing oranges, apples, and soft drinks on top of the cargo of munitions as concealment.”

This week, a top NATO official issued a stark warning about the shortage of weapons and ammunition available to Ukraine.

“The bottom of the barrel is now visible…” Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, chair of the NATO Military Committee, told the Warsaw Security Forum.

In Washington, continued funding for Ukraine is in doubt because of a political chaos on Capitol Hill.

Ukraine funding was not included in the latest stopgap spending bill passed at the weekend. The uncertainty was compounded this week when House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, an advocate for Ukraine funding, was ousted.

US

Donald Trump’s hush money sentencing postponed

Published

14 hours ago

July 2, 2024

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Donald Trump's hush money sentencing postponed

A judge in New York has postponed Donald Trump’s hush money sentencing until September to consider the Supreme Court’s ruling on immunity.

The US’s top court decided on Monday immunity exists from criminal prosecution for official acts while in office, in a boost for Trump – who is accused of illegally trying to overturn his 2020 election loss.

The former president asked Justice Juan Merchan to delay the sentencing for his conviction over hush money paid to a porn star to give him a chance to argue he should have been immune from prosecution.

Prosecutors said Trump’s argument was “without merit”, but agreed to the delay to give Trump time to make his case.

He will face an uphill battle getting the hush money conviction overturned, since much of the conduct in the case predates his time in office.

The delay will push the sentencing beyond the Republic National Convention on 15 July, when Trump is due to be named the party nominee for the presidential election on 5 November.

The sentencing, originally set for 11 July, has now been scheduled for 18 September.

Trump lawyers see ruling as a game-changer – this is the first test

It’s the end of the law as they know it.

The specifics of change will be tested first, and fastest, in the New York court where Trump was convicted.

His lawyers clearly see the Supreme Court ruling as a game-changer and an opportunity to have the conviction thrown out.

New York’s prosecutors beg to differ, insisting the Trump argument is “without merit”.

Their agreement to a delay in sentencing is a nod to inevitable Trump appeals and the importance of setting out a judge’s reasoning to help resist challenge.

Trump’s lawyers believe evidence presented to the jury during his trial falls under new immunity protections, including public statements, tweets and paperwork.

The hush money trial spanned periods when Trump was president and there will be questions around what falls within the parameter of “official acts”.

It is an early test of the new immunity law and a measure of a president’s empowerment.

For critics of the Supreme Court ruling, it’s a calibration of risk to democracy and the rule of law.

The delay in Trump’s sentencing will push it beyond the Republic National Convention on 15 July, when he’s due to be anointed as the party nominee.

Trump’s sentencing had loomed large over the political set-piece – no more.

Trump was found guilty on 30 May of falsifying business records to cover up his former lawyer Michael Cohen’s $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

The offer was made to keep her quiet about an alleged 2006 sexual encounter until after the 2016 election, when Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Trump denies ever having sex with Ms Daniels and has said he will appeal against the conviction after his sentencing.

Prosecutors said the payment was part of an illicit scheme to influence the election.

In their letter to Justice Merchan, Trump’s team argued prosecutors had used evidence involving his official acts as president, including conversations while in the White House.

Under the Supreme Court’s ruling, prosecutors cannot use evidence related to official actions to help prove criminal cases involving unofficial actions.

US

Biden says Supreme Court immunity ruling means presidents can ‘ignore the law’ – as Trump celebrates ‘big win’

Published

1 day ago

July 1, 2024

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Biden says Supreme Court immunity ruling means presidents can 'ignore the law' - as Trump celebrates 'big win'

Joe Biden has said the historic ruling that former presidents have immunity violates the principle “that there are no kings in America” – and means they can now “ignore the law”.

He was speaking after the US Supreme Court decided absolute immunity exists from criminal prosecution for official acts while in office, but not for unofficial ones.

“Each, each of us is equal before the law. No one is above the law, not even the president of the United States,” Mr Biden said on Monday evening.

The ruling is a victory for Donald Trump, who is accused of illegally trying to overturn his 2020 election loss.

“I know I will respect the limits of presidential power as I have for the three-and-a-half years,” Mr Biden said.

“But any president, including Donald Trump, will now be free to ignore the law.”

The Supreme Court did not rule on the merits of Trump’s case, but referred it back to a lower court to decide how to apply the ruling.

It must now decide whether Trump was acting officially or privately in relation to the charges.

President Biden said Monday’s ruling also means the ex-president is now “highly unlikely” to go on trial before US voters have their say again in four months’ time.

“It’s a terrible disservice to the people in this nation,” he said.

If Trump becomes president again in November, he may be able to use his powers to dismiss the charges against him.

He earlier celebrated the ruling, posting online: “BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”

The three liberal justices all dissented with the majority opinion – with Sonia Sotomayor warning it was a dangerous step for democracy.

She said it made a “mockery” of the principle that “no man is above the law”.

“In every use of official power, the president is now a king above the law,” she wrote.

The chief justice, John Roberts, insisted that wasn’t true but said they have “at least presumptive immunity from prosecution” for official acts.

The decision passed with the help of the three conservative judges Trump appointed when he was president.

Mr Biden’s comments follow his poor showing in the TV debate with Trump last week, a performance that prompted speculation the Democrats might try to replace him as candidate.

The 81-year’s remarks were his first from the White House since then, and he put in a far more assured and coherent performance – even sporting a glowing tan.

However, Mr Biden was reading from an autocue – something he did not have the benefit of during his stumbling face off with Trump.

Mr Biden admitted last week his debating skills were not what they once were but said it was his substance and actions that mattered.

His family have also urged him to carry on.

Democrat insiders spoke of panic after the TV debacle, but any effort to force him to withdraw against his will is extremely unlikely – with the only realistic route being if he stepped down himself.

US

US Supreme Court sends Trump immunity claim back to lower court

Published

2 days ago

July 1, 2024

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US Supreme Court sends Trump immunity claim back to lower court

The US Supreme Court has sent Donald Trump’s claim he is immune from prosecution for his actions while president back to a lower court.

Trump faces prosecution over his role in the deadly January 6 riots in 2021 at the Capitol in Washington DC, after he encouraged his supporters to gather at Congress to oppose the approval of Joe Biden’s 2020 election win; and alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election result.

The former president had been charged with conspiracy to defraud the US, conspiring against the right of Americans to vote and corruptly obstructing an official proceeding and conspiring to do so.

In a historic 6-3 ruling, the justices said for the first time that former presidents have absolute immunity from prosecution for their official acts, but no immunity for unofficial acts.

But instead of deciding for themselves, the justices ordered lower courts to work out precisely how to apply their decision to Trump’s case.

The lower court must now decide whether he was acting officially or privately.

Trump’s legal team had argued he was immune from prosecution as he was serving as president when he took the actions leading to the charges.

Special Counsel Jack Smith, who brought the charges in August last year, has opposed presidential immunity from prosecution based on the principle no one is above the law.

A trial had been scheduled to start on 4 March, before the delays over the immunity issue.

The Supreme Court’s decision adds further delays. If Trump becomes president again in November, in reality he may be able to use his powers to dismiss the charges against him.

The court’s slow handling of the case has already helped Trump by making it unlikely any trial on these charges could be completed before the election on 5 November.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He has said this case and three others are politically motivated attempts to keep him from returning to the White House.

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