US accuses Iran of supplying missiles to Russia

Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Iran of supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia on Tuesday, confirming reports that Tehran has increased its support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Blinken said dozens of Russian military personnel have been trained in Iran to operate the Fath-360 close-range ballistic missile system, and Moscow has now received shipments of those missiles “and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine.”

“Russia has an array of its own ballistic missiles, but the supply of Iranian missiles enables Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets that are further from the frontline, while dedicating the new missiles it is receiving from Iran for closer targets,” he said at a press conference in London with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

“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,” Blinken continued, saying the U.S. would introduce more sanctions on Tehran.

Iran has been providing Russia with its Shahed explosive drones since late 2022, not long after Russian troops invaded Ukraine. Blinken confirmed Tuesday, for the first time, that Tehran has also supplied Moscow with ballistic missiles.

The Fath-360 can strike targets up to 75 miles away, and it could threaten Ukrainian cities that have already been pounded by Russian missiles and drones throughout the war.

The British newspaper The Times reported last week, citing Ukrainian intelligence, that Russia has received a shipment of 200 of the Fath-360 missiles.

Blinken, who is headed to Ukraine on Wednesday, said Russia is also giving Iran access to technology, including for nuclear and space development.

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Monday “there’s been an acknowledgment that the relationship between Russia and Iran continues to deepen.”

“It’s very concerning, and it’s just another example of Iran spreading its destabilizing influence throughout the world,” he said.