Russia could win back momentum in the war in Ukraine, according to military experts, after reports suggest a huge missile delivery from Iran.
Tehran has allegedly sent more than 200 ballistic missiles to Russia this week, sparking alarm in the US and Ukraine.
Ukrainian military sources suggest that Iran’s reported supply of missiles, thought to be Fath-360 missiles, could be a “game-changer” for the frozen frontline in the war-torn country.
Kyiv has issued a warning to Tehran, saying that military cooperation with Moscow represents a threat to Ukraine, Europe and the Middle East. Ukraine called on the international community to increase pressure on Tehran and Moscow.
Meanwhile, in the US, White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said: “We have been warning of the deepening security partnership between Russia and Iran since the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and are alarmed by these reports.”
He continued: “Any transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia would represent a dramatic escalation in Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”
A Ukrainian military source told The Times that the ballistic Fath-300 missiles, which can reach targets up to 70 miles away, were a “game-changer” for the Russians.
Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said: “This can have a real impact on the battlefield in the eastern Donbas.
“These are tactical missiles with a range of up to 120km so they are going to be mostly used tactically but the Russians can still use them to attack cities like Kharkiv and Sumy and the Ukrainian army’s rear areas in the Donbas and Dnipro.”
Mr Nadimi warned that the arms shipment could eventually open the door to the delivery of missiles with a range of more than 500km, which could hit western Ukraine.
Iran’s UN delegation denied the claims which were first reported in The Times and the Wall Street Journal.
A spokesperson said: “Iran considers the provision of military assistance to the parties engaged in the conflict – which leads to increased human casualties, destruction of infrastructure, and a distancing from ceasefire negotiations – to be inhumane.
“Thus, not only does Iran abstain from engaging in such actions itself, but it also calls upon other countries to cease the supply of weapons to the sides involved in the conflict.”
According to the reports, Russian military personnel will be trained inside Iran on how to use the missiles at a training facility near Ashaluk.
The arms shipment also signals a growing alliance between Russia and Iran amid Western pressure on both countries.