Iran mediating secret talks to send Russian anti-ship missiles to Yemen's Houthis, Reuters reports
Iran is brokering secret negotiations between Russia and Yemen's Houthis to transfer Yakhont supersonic anti-ship missiles to them, Reuters reported on Sept. 24, citing seven unnamed sources.
Representatives of the Iran-backed Houthi group and Moscow met in Tehran at least twice in 2024, two officials familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The talks on the supply of "dozens" of missiles are ongoing, and new meetings in Tehran are expected in the coming weeks, the news agency reported.
The Houthis are an Iran-backed militant group located in Yemen. Following Israel's invasion of Gaza, the Houthis began launching attacks against shipping vessels in the Red Sea.
"The Iranians are brokering the talks but do not want to have their signature over it," a Western intelligence source said.
The Kremlin has reportedly not yet made a final decision on deliveries of the Yakhont missiles, also known as P-800 Oniks, which have a range of about 300 kilometers.
Experts believe that such a move will allow the militant group to attack commercial vessels more precisely and increase the threat to the U.S. and European warships defending them, according to Reuters.
Russia and Iran have deepened their military and political cooperation since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Tehran has provided Moscow with thousands of Shahed kamikaze drones used in attacks against Ukraine.
After months of contradictory reports, the U.S. on Sept. 10 confirmed that Iran had delivered ballistic missiles to Russia in what could prove a dramatic development for Ukraine.
To date, no Iranian ballistic missiles are known to have been fired at Ukraine by Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 11 at the Crimean Platform in Kyiv, attended by a Kyiv Independent reporter.
But with larger warheads and being far more difficult to intercept, they pose a much greater threat than Shaheds.
In a statement on Sept. 7, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said the move "will have devastating consequences for Ukrainian-Iranian bilateral relations."
Ukraine, European Union, and the U.S. have recently introduced more sanctions against Tehran in the wake of the confirmation of the ballistic missile delivery to Moscow.
Chris York
