US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday (10) that Russia has received ballistic missiles from Iran and will likely use them in Ukraine within weeks, warning that cooperation between Moscow and Tehran threatens European security in general.
At a news conference in London ahead of a visit to Kiev alongside British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Blinken said Washington had privately warned Iran that supplying ballistic missiles to Russia would be “a dramatic escalation” and said new sanctions would be imposed as early as Tuesday.
“Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine, against Ukraine,” Blinken said, citing intelligence he said had been shared with U.S. allies and partners around the world.
Blinken said Iran has trained dozens of Russian military personnel to use its Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile system, which has a maximum range of 120 kilometers.
Representatives of Russia’s Defense Ministry are believed to have signed a contract in December with Iranian officials for the Fath-360 and another Iranian ballistic missile system, Reuters reported last month.
A senior Iranian official on Monday (9) denied reports that Iran had supplied ballistic missiles to Russia, describing them as “psychological warfare.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to confirm the reports but told reporters that Russia was cooperating with Iran, including in the “most sensitive” areas.
After two and a half years of war, Ukrainian forces now find themselves stretched thin, fighting off Russia’s steady advance in eastern Ukraine. Last month, Kiev sent troops into Russia in its first large-scale cross-border incursion.
Iranian missiles could be used on closer targets, allowing Russia to deploy more of its own arsenal on targets that are further from the front line in Ukraine, Blinken said.
“This development and the growing cooperation between Russia and Iran threaten European security and demonstrate how Iran’s destabilizing influence extends far beyond the Middle East.”
Russia, which had previously adhered to UN restrictions on Iran, is also sharing technology sought by Tehran, he added. “This is a two-way street, including on nuclear issues and some space information,” Blinken said.
More sanctions
Iran is already one of the most sanctioned countries in the world, and some experts question the value of adding economic sanctions that could hurt the middle class more than the country’s leaders.
Additional US sanctions against Iran will include measures against the airline Iran Air, Blinken said.
France, Germany and the UK also issued a joint statement condemning Iran and Russia for what they called escalation and pledging to impose sanctions on Iran Air.
Here’s what we know about Ukraine’s incursion into Russian territory
This content was originally published in US says Russia received missiles from Iran and warns of threat to Europe on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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