By Trevor Hunnicutt and Michelle Nichols
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Any Iranian transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia would mark a major escalation in the Ukraine war, the United States said on Friday, after reports that the two countries had deepened ties in recent weeks with such a weapons transfer.
Reuters reported in August that Russia expected an imminent delivery of hundreds of Fath-360 close-range ballistic missiles from Iran and that dozens of Russian military personnel were being trained in Iran on the satellite-guided weapons for possible use in the war in Ukraine.
Short-range missiles have now been delivered to Russia by Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing an unnamed US official.
“We have warned about the deepening security partnership between Russia and Iran since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and are concerned by these reports,” said White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett.
“Any transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia would represent a dramatic escalation of Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Another US official told Reuters they were looking closely at the potential Iranian-Russian missile transfers.
The potential moves come after the United States and partners, including in Europe, warned that such a move by Iran could have consequences. Western countries have watched Iran and Russia’s deepening ties in recent months with increasing concern.
Iran’s delegation to the United Nations in New York said on Friday that Tehran’s position on the Ukraine conflict was unchanged.
“Iran considers the provision of military assistance to the parties engaged in the conflict – leading to increased human casualties, destruction of infrastructure and a distancing from ceasefire negotiations – to be inhumane,” it said.
“Therefore, Iran not only refrains from engaging in such actions itself, but it also calls on other countries to cease arms supplies to the sides involved in the conflict,” the mission said.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington and Michelle Nichols at the UN; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)