Russia received ballistic missiles from Iran and will probably use them in Ukraine within a few weeks, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said yesterday, warning that cooperation between Moscow and Tehran poses a threat to European security.
At a press conference in London ahead of his visit to Kiev, Blinken said that Washington privately warned Iran that sending ballistic missiles to Russia would represent a "dramatic escalation" and announced new sanctions.
"Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles, and they are likely to use them in the coming weeks in Ukraine, against Ukraine," Blinken said, citing intelligence shared with the US by allies and partners around the world.
Blinken also said that Iran has trained dozens of Russian military personnel to use the fath-360 short-range ballistic systems, which have a maximum range of 75 miles.
Russian Defense Ministry officials are believed to have signed a contract with Iranian officials in December for the Fath-360 and other Iranian ballistic missile systems, Reuters reported last month.
The spokesman of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Kanani, announced yesterday on Platform X that Iran considers these reports as "ugly propaganda" aimed at covering up Western military support for Israel.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to confirm the reports, but said Russia was cooperating with Iran, including in "the most sensitive areas."
After two and a half years of war, Ukrainian forces now find themselves in a difficult situation, defending against advancing Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. Last month, Kiev sent troops into Russia in the first major cross-border invasion.
Iranian missiles can be used for closer targets, allowing Russia to use more of its arsenal on targets further from the front lines in Ukraine, Blinken said. "These developments and the increasing cooperation between Russia and Iran pose a threat to European security and demonstrate the destabilizing influence of Iran that reaches far beyond the Middle East."
Russia also shares its technology with Tehran, Blinken said, adding "this is a two-way street, including nuclear issues as well as some space information."
The European Union announced yesterday that the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia represents a further military escalation that will be met with a "strong response". EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano said that the EU diplomatic service, at the request of the high representative for foreign policy, Josep Borrell, has already presented EU members with a "significant set of decisive and targeted measures" against Iran in response to this transfer. He added that such measures must be agreed upon by all 27 EU members in order to enter into force.
"The delivery of ballistic missiles is likely to aid Russia's bombing campaign against Ukrainian civilians, cities and civilian infrastructure, further increasing the number of casualties and destruction," Stano said. "Such support for Russia's terrorist campaign against the Ukrainian population will be met with a strong response from the EU".
This development and the increasing cooperation between Russia and Iran pose a threat to European security and demonstrate Iran's destabilizing influence that reaches far beyond the Middle East, Blinken said.
Iran is already one of the most sanctioned countries in the world, and some experts question the benefit of imposing additional economic penalties that may hurt the middle class more than the country's leaders. Additional US sanctions against Iran will include measures against Iran Air, Blinken said.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the sanctions would include individuals and entities in Iran and Russia involved in the delivery of the missiles.
France, Germany and Britain also issued a joint statement condemning Iran and Russia for what they said was an escalation and announced sanctions against Iran Air.
Britain has announced seven new sanctions under its sanctions regime against Iran and three under its sanctions regime against Russia.
"This act represents an escalation by both Iran and Russia, and is a direct threat to European security," the joint statement of these three states states. "We call on Iran to immediately stop all support for Russia's war against Ukraine and stop the development and transfer of its ballistic missiles."
Ukraine welcomed additional sanctions on Iran over its missiles.
The head of the president's cabinet, Andrij Jermak, reiterated that Kiev is seeking permission from Washington to use American weapons deeper inside Russia.
The Biden administration earlier this year eased a policy barring Ukraine from using U.S. weapons to attack targets inside Russia, but officials have stressed that those weapons should only be used to strike Russian forces that are attacking or preparing to attack across the border.
Blinken said that during his visit to Ukraine, he will hear directly from the Ukrainian leadership what their current needs and goals are, as well as what the US can do to help them.
Yesterday, Ukraine carried out its largest drone attack on the Russian capital to date, in which at least one person was killed and dozens of houses in the Moscow region were damaged.
Russian authorities have confirmed that at least one person has died near Moscow. Three of Moscow's four airports were closed for more than six hours, and nearly 50 flights were diverted.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the drone attack was another reminder of the true nature of Ukraine's political leadership, which he said was made up of Russia's enemies. "Night strikes on residential areas cannot be connected with military actions," Peskov said.
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