TEHRAN: Dozens of Russian soldiers have been trained in Iran to use the Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile system, two European intelligence sources told Reuters, adding that hundreds of weapons were expected to be sent to they are in Russia. the war in Ukraine.
Representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry are believed to have signed an agreement on December 13 in Tehran with Iranian officials regarding the Fath-360 and another ballistic missile system built by the Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) of 'the Iranian government called Ababil, according to intelligence. official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Citing several confidential sources, the officials said Russian officials visited Iran to study the operation of the Fath-360 defense system, which launches missiles with a maximum range of 120 km (75 miles) and 150 kg. One of the sources said that “the only option” after the training is to send the missile to Russia.
Moscow has its own range of ballistic missiles, but the supply of the Fath-360s could allow Russia to use more of its weapons against targets beyond the front lines, using warheads -Iranian weapons for closer targets, said a military expert.
A spokesman for the US National Security Council said the US and its NATO allies and G7 partners “are prepared to respond quickly and forcefully if we move forward with Iran is such a transition.”
“This will represent an escalation of Iran's support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine,” the spokesman said. “The White House has warned repeatedly about the security partnership between Russia and Iran since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.”
Russia's defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York said in a statement that the Islamic Republic has established long-term strategic cooperation with Russia in various fields, including cooperation – work in the military.
“However, as a matter of ethics, Iran will not transfer weapons, including missiles, that could be used in the war against Ukraine until this is done,” the statement said.
The White House has declined to confirm that Iran is training Russian soldiers on the Fath-360 or planning to send the weapon to Russia for use against Ukraine.
The two sources did not give an exact time frame for the delivery of the Fath-360 missile to Russia but said it would be soon. They did not comment on the status of the Abibala deal.
A third source from another European agency said they also received information that Russia had sent troops to Iran to train in the use of Iranian missile systems, without giving further details.
Such training is routine for Iranian weapons supplied to Russia, said the third source, who also declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the information.
A senior Iranian official, who requested anonymity, said Iran had sold missiles and drones to Russia but had not supplied Fath-360 missiles. There was no legal ban on the sale of such weapons to Tehran in Russia, the source added.
“Iran and Russia are buying supplies and weapons together. How each country uses this equipment is entirely their decision,” the official said, adding that Iran has not sold weapons to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.
As part of military cooperation, Iranian and Russian officials often travel between the two states, the official said.
“Disruptive Action”
Until now, the Iranian military's support for Moscow has been mainly limited to the Shahed attack drones, which carry explosive parts and are easier to shoot down because they are slower than ballistic missiles.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said in July 2023 that a new training system for the Fath 360 had been tested by the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Ground Force.
Justin Bronk, Air Power Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a London-based defense think tank, said: “The deployment of multiple ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia would increase more under pressure from an already overstretched Ukrainian missile defense system.”
“As a ballistic threat, they can only be relied on at the top level of the Ukrainian system,” he said, referring to Ukraine's most sophisticated air defenses such as the Patriot and the European SAMP/T system.
There was no immediate comment from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
In March, G7 leaders expressed concern over reports that Iran was considering transferring ballistic missiles to Russia and warned in a statement that it would respond in a coordinated manner with major countermeasures. they belong to Iran.
The NSC spokesman, in response to Reuters' questions, noted that Iran's newly elected president Masoud Pezeshkian “has announced that he wants to soften Iran's policy and engage with the world.” Disruptive actions like this fly in the face of that rhetoric.
A British government spokesman expressed deep concern over reports that Russian soldiers were being trained in Iran. “Iran should not move forward” with ballistic missile transfers, he said.
UN Security Council restrictions on the export of certain missiles, drones and other technology to Iran expire in October 2023. However, the United States and the European Union have maintained sanctions on Iran's ballistic missile program despite concerns about arms exports to proxies in the Middle East and elsewhere. other countries. Russia.
Reuters reported in February the strengthening of military cooperation between Iran and Russia and Moscow's interest in Iranian surface-to-surface missiles.
Sources told the news agency at the time that around 400 Fateh-110 longer-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles were delivered. But European intelligence sources told Reuters that as far as they were concerned the transfer had not yet taken place.
Ukrainian officials have not publicly reported finding any Iranian remains or debris during the war.
