Russia will receive hundreds of Fath-360 and other ballistic missiles from Iran in the near future following an agreement signed in December 2023 between Moscow and Tehran, intelligence sources revealed to Reuters on Aug. 9.
The unnamed intelligence sources told Reuters that dozens of Russian military personnel are currently training on the Fath-360 close-range ballistic missile system in Iran.
Iran is one of Russia's closest allies on the international stage. The two countries have only deepened their military and political cooperation since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Notably, Iran has provided Russia with thousands of Shahed kamikaze drones since the start of the all-out war. In February, Reuters also reported that Tehran sent "a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles" to aid Moscow's invasion.
Undisclosed Iranian sources told the New York Times on Aug. 5 that Iran has requested modern air defense systems from Russia as it prepares for a possible war with Israel, with deliveries already underway.
The Fath-360 missiles reportedly have a range of 120 kilometers (75 miles), as well as a warhead of 150 kilograms.
Although intelligence sources did not provide a direct timeline as to when to expect the transfer of weapons, sources indicated that it will happen imminently.
In response to the potential missiles transfer, a spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council told Reuters that Western allies "are prepared to deliver a swift and severe response if Iran were to move forward with such transfers."
The transfers "would represent a dramatic escalation in Iran's support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine," the spokesman added. "The White House has repeatedly warned of the deepening security partnership between Russia and Iran since the outset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine."
Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York in a statement to Reuters denied the country will transfer the missiles.
"From an ethical standpoint, Iran refrains from transferring any weapons, including missiles, that could potentially be used in the conflict with Ukraine until it is over," the statement read, despite mounting evidence of Iranian-made weapons in Ukraine.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
