Iran is expected to supply Russia with new weapons soon. The Fath-360 ballistic missile system could escalate the situation in the Ukraine war.
Moscow/Tehran – Russia’s cooperation with the West has been severely restricted since the attack on Ukraine in 2022. The country under the leadership of Vladimir Putin has significantly expanded partnerships with China and Iran. Moscow purchases combat drones from Iranwhich in Ukraine War But Russia is said to be providing military support to Tehran by supplying missile systems to Iran. Now a new deal is imminent: Iran is to supply hundreds of missiles to the Russian military.
Iran to supply weapons to Russia: “Dramatic escalation”
Dozens of Russian military personnel in Iran are to be trained on the Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile system, Reuters reported on August 9. The news agency cited European intelligence sources who informed Reuters of this. According to the sources, hundreds of the Fath-360 systems will soon be delivered to Russia to be delivered to be used in the Ukraine war. The sources could not say when exactly this would happen.
As early as December 13, 2023, representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry are said to have signed a contract with Iranian officials in Tehran for the Fath-360 satellite-guided weapons as well as another ballistic missile system from Iran’s state-owned Aerospace Industrial Organization (AIO) called Ababil, a source who wished to remain anonymous told Reuters.
Iran supports Russia in Ukraine war: delivery of missile system
“The only possible next step” would be delivery to Russia after Russian military personnel have been trained on the Fath-360 system, which has a maximum range of 120 kilometers and can fire a warhead weighing up to 150 kg.
The United States and its NATO allies and G7 partners are “prepared to respond quickly and decisively should Iran carry out such renditions,” a spokesman for the US National Security Council said. This would “represent a dramatic escalation of Iranian support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” the spokesman continued. “The White House has been committed to the rendition of Iran since the beginning of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine repeatedly warned against a deepening of the security partnership between Russia and Iran.”
Delivery of Iranian missile system to Russia – Ukraine comes under pressure
According to a military expert, by supplying the Fath-360 missiles, Moscow could use a large part of its arsenal for targets beyond the front line and use the Iranian warheads for targets at short distances. Iran has long denied that it supplies weapons to Russia.
“The delivery of large numbers of short-range ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia would further increase the pressure on Ukraine’s already heavily overstretched missile defense systems,” said Justin Bronk, senior research fellow for air forces at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a London-based defense think tank. Only “top-of-the-line Ukrainian systems” could intercept the ballistic threat, he added. He includes the US Patriot system and the European SAMP/T systems among these. (vk/Reuters)
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