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The US has confirmed that Iran is supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.
What’s the deal: After days of mixed reporting indicating that Iran was preparing to provide Russia with advanced weaponry, the US has now accused Tehran of supplying Moscow with short-range ballistic missiles, specifically the Fath-360, for its war against Ukraine.
What the US is saying: While speaking to reporters, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine against Ukrainians.” According to Blinken, the provision of Iranian ballistic missiles is intended to aleviate Russia’s own supply of ballistiic missiles so it can hit “targets that are further from the front line.” Blinken added, “We’ve warned Iran publicly, we’ve warned Iran privately, that taking this step would constitute a dramatic escalation.”
Blinken added, “This development and the growing cooperation between Russia and Iran threatens European security and demonstrates how Iran’s destabilizing influence reaches far beyond the Middle East.”
Iran pushes back: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Naser Kanaani pushed back on the reports, saying, “The spread of false news about the transfer of Iranian weapons to certain countries is aimed at concealing the extensive and illegal Western military support for the genocide in Gaza.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov added, “Not every time information of this kind corresponds to reality. … We are developing dialogue with Iran in the most sensitive areas and will continue to do so.”
Digging Deeper: Despite Iran’s denial of supplying missiles to Russia, their past actions have proven otherwise. Previously, the US and Western nations accused Iran of providing Shahed explosive drones to Russia, which Iran dismissed as “propaganda.” However, photographic evidence and recovered drone debris from Ukraine clearly show that Iran has supplied these drones (photos below). Additionally, Iran has even established a drone production facility in Russia.
