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Transfer of Iranian ballistics to Russia – current situation and reactions

According to the Associated Press, the United States has informed its allies about the probable transfer of Iranian short-range ballistic missiles to Russia. Ukraine has called on the international community to increase pressure on Tehran and Moscow. The transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia will have serious consequences for bilateral relations between Kyiv and Tehran, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. Russia's military cooperation with Iran threatens the security of not only Ukraine, but also the whole of Europe, as well as the Middle East, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry emphasized. “We once again call on the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran to refrain from transferring any types of weapons and military equipment to Russia, which, according to the UN Charter and international law, is an aggressor state. Iran must completely and finally stop providing weapons to Russia,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The United States has repeatedly warned Iran against transferring ballistic missiles of any range to Russia. CIA Director William Burns noted the growing and, in his words, alarming military relations between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Such cooperation threatens both Ukraine and US allies in the Middle East. “If Iran were to supply ballistic missiles of any type, short-range or otherwise, it would be a dramatic escalation in the nature of this defense partnership,” said William Burns, Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency. Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported on the transfer of short-range ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia, citing sources in US intelligence. According to Reuters, this could be the Fath-360, a system that launches ballistic missiles with a maximum range of 120 km and a warhead weighing 150 kg. According to the British newspaper The Times, Russia has received more than 200 missiles from Iran. Iranian parliament member Ahmad Ardestani also confirmed the fact of the deliveries. “It can’t be worse than it is now. We give missiles to Hezbollah, Hamas and Hashd al-Shaabi, so why not give them to Russia? We sell weapons and receive dollars. We circumvent sanctions through our partnership with Russia. We import soybeans, corn and other goods from Russia,” said Ahmad Ardestani, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, in an interview with the Iranian newspaper Didban Iran. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry denied information about sending ballistic missiles to Russia. The Iranian mission to the UN also traditionally denies supplying weapons to the aggressor country. Analysts at the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believe that the Iranian regime expects to receive Su-35 fighters from Moscow in exchange for ballistics, not soybeans and corn. According to The Wall Street Journal, Europe and the United States are already working on a sanctions response to Tehran. The transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia would signify a "dramatic escalation" in Russia's aggressive war, and the U.S. is prepared to respond with "significant consequences," according to U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel, as reported by Voice of America. Patel emphasized that such a transfer would mark a serious intensification of Iran’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine. He also expressed U.S. concerns regarding reports about this missile transfer. The White House has similarly expressed worry over these reports. John Kirby, the White House National Security Communications Advisor, warned that the provision of these technologies would not only negatively impact Ukraine’s defense and the lives of its citizens but also have repercussions in the Middle East, as Iran already has an advanced ballistic missile program. During a press conference on September 9, Patel reaffirmed that U.S. policy regarding strikes deep into Russian territory with U.S. weapons remains unchanged. He highlighted growing concern over the deepening security partnership between Russia and Iran since the start of the full-scale invasion. Patel also noted the U.S. is closely monitoring the actions of Iranian President Pezeshkian, pointing out that public statements about improving Iran’s economy through better international relations conflict with reports of missile transfers that threaten global security. Western media recently reported, based on anonymous sources, that Iran had already transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, though Iran denies these claims. Read also: Biden, Starmer to discuss support for Ukraine in Washington The post Transfer of Iranian ballistics to Russia – current situation and reactions appeared first on Freedom.