The Economist: 'Arrangements already made' for Iran to supply Russia with missiles
Tehran and Moscow have reached an agreement for Iranian Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar missiles to be delivered by air to annexed Crimea and by sea to Russian ports in the Caspian, The Economist wrote, citing Ukrainian military intelligence and other officials.
"We know arrangements are already made," Vadym Skibitskiy, deputy head of Ukrainian military intelligence, told The Economist.
Ukraine has no effective protection against the Iranian missiles, which strike targets at much higher speeds than cruise missiles or drones, The Economist wrote.
On Nov. 6, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia might be gathering forces to conduct another massive bombardment of Ukrianian energy infrastructure, adding that "for this, Russia needs Iranian missiles."
On Nov. 1, CNN reported, citing unnamed Western officials, that Iran is preparing to send around 1,000 additional weapons to Russia, including surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missiles and about 400 kamikaze drones.
It would be the first instance of Iran sending advanced precision-guided missiles to Russia, "which could give Moscow a substantial boost on the battlefield," CNN wrote.
The timeframe of the expected weapons delivery remains unclear.
Iran has denied providing any type of weapons to Russia after it's full-scale invasion began. On Nov. 5, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian acknowledged that his country had provided drones to Russia but claimed that the transfer took place before February.
