Iran has promised to supply Russia with surface-to-surface missiles and more dronestwo senior Iranian officials and two Iranian diplomats told Reuters. This should make the United States and other Western powers very angry.
The deal was agreed on October 6, when Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Mohbar, two senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers and a Supreme National Security Council official visited Moscow for talks with Russia on arms supplies.
“The Russians have requested more Iranian drones and ballistic missiles with greater accuracy, especially the Fatih and Zolfagar missile families,” an Iranian diplomat said unofficially.
A Western official briefed on the matter confirmed this, saying this there is an agreement between Iran and Russia to provide short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, including Zolfagar.
The Iranian diplomat rejected claims by Western officials that such transfers violated a 2015 UN Security Council resolution.
“Where they are used is not a seller’s problem. We do not take sides in the Ukrainian crisis like the West. We want to end the crisis by diplomatic means,” said the diplomat.
Ukraine has reported a series of Russian attacks involving Iranian Shahid-136 drones in recent weeks. Iran denied of having supplied the drones to Russia in the meantime The Kremlin on Tuesday denied that its military had used Iranian drones for an attack on Ukraine.
Asked whether Russia had used Iranian drones in its campaign in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin had no information on their use.
“Russian technology is used with the Russian nomenclature,” he said. “Any further questions should be directed to the Department of Defense. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The appearance of Iranian missiles as well as drones in the Moscow arsenal in the war with Ukraine it would increase tensions between Iran and the United States and other Western powers.
The US State Department said Iranian drones were used in a morning strike on the Ukrainian capital on Monday. White House spokesperson Karin Jean-Pierre also accused Tehran of lying when she claimed that Iranian drones were not being used by Russia in Ukraine.
A European diplomat said his country’s assessment is that Russia finds it more difficult to produce weapons given sanctions on its industrial sector and is therefore turning to imports from partners like Iran and North Korea.
Drones and missiles are a logical next step, “said the European diplomat.
Asked about Iran’s surface-to-surface missile sales to Russia, a senior US military official said, “I have nothing to add on this at this time.”
Pressed by Western economic sanctions, Iranian rulers want to strengthen strategic ties with Russia against an emerging US-backed Arab-Israeli Gulf blockade that could further shift the balance of power in the Middle East against the Islamic Republic.
The Iranian rulers are also under pressure events nationwidefueled by the death in custody of a 22-year-old woman arrested for “inappropriate clothing”.
Different countries of the European Union on Monday he called for sanctions against Iran on the supply of drones to Russia, as the bloc agreed on a separate set of sanctions to crack down on Tehran’s protests.
An Eastern European official following Russia’s war activity said he understands that this arms deal is happening, although there is no hard evidence to support it. The official said Iranian and Russian leaders have decided to proceed with the transfer.
Moscow has specifically requested the Fatih 110 and Zolfagar short-range surface-to-surface missiles and delivery will take place in up to 10 days, another Iranian diplomat said.
However, it is argued that Iranian authorities refused to sell long-range Arash 2 drones to Russia months ago because they feared their technology would be discovered by the United States in Ukraine.
