Ukraine-Russia War: Iran is reported to have supplied Russia with a significant number of ballistic missiles, deepening ties between the two nations under U.S. sanctions. This development, confirmed by six sources to Reuters, involves Russia’s acquisition of at least 400 ballistic missiles from Iran’s Fateh-110 missile family, including the notable Zolfaghar missile. Iran claims the Zolfaghar can precisely target distances ranging from 300 to 700 kilometers and was likely purchased as an urgent supply for the Russia-Ukraine War.
The delivery of these missiles began in early January following discussions in Tehran and Moscow, culminating in an agreement between Iranian and Russian officials last year. This agreement also resulted in the delivery of the well-known kamikaze UAV/Loitering munition SHAHED (Geran 2) to Russian forces.
Despite the importance of this military cooperation, both the Iranian Ministry of Defense and the Revolutionary Guards, the elite force overseeing Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, have chosen not to publicize the event. Similarly, the Russian Ministry of Defense has not provided updates on these developments.
Details about the number of missile shipments were shared by Iranian military officials speaking to REUTERS anonymously, revealing that at least four separate shipments have been sent to Russia, with expectations for additional deliveries. The transportation methods for these missiles varied, including both maritime routes through the Caspian Sea and air transport.
“There’s no reason to hide it. We’re allowed to export weapons to any country we wish,” an Iranian official reportedly said.
Contrary to Iran and Russia’s stance, the Ukrainian Air Force has yet to confirm the arrival of such a significant number of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia. Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat, in a statement to Ukraine’s national television, said there are no official reports regarding this supply from Russia.
