Dozens of Russian military personnel are being trained in Iran to use the Fatah-360 long-range ballistic missile system, two European intelligence sources told Reuters, adding that they expect hundreds of satellite-guided weapons to be delivered to Russia imminently. Its war in Ukraine
According to intelligence reports, representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense are believed to have signed a contract with Iranian officials in Tehran on December 13 for the Fatah-360 and another ballistic missile system made by the state-owned Iran Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) called Ababil. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Russian personnel traveled to Iran to learn how to operate the Fatah-360 defense system, which launches missiles with a maximum range of 120 kilometers (75 miles) and a 150-kilogram warhead, the officials said, citing multiple confidential intelligence sources. One of the sources said that the “only possible next step” after the training is the actual delivery of the missiles to Russia.
A military expert said Moscow has its own array of ballistic missiles, but the Fatah-360 supply could allow Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets beyond the frontline, while using Iranian warheads for more distant targets. .
A spokesman for the US National Security Council said the US and its NATO allies and G7 partners “are prepared to respond quickly and forcefully if such transfers proceed from Iran.”
“This will be a dramatic escalation in Iran's support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine,” the spokesman said. The White House has repeatedly warned against deepening the security partnership between Russia and Iran since Russia's massive invasion of Ukraine began.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York announced in a statement that the Islamic Republic has established a long-term strategic partnership with Russia in various fields, including military cooperation.
“Nevertheless, from a moral point of view, Iran will refrain from transferring any weapons, including missiles that could potentially be used in the conflict with Ukraine, until it ends,” the statement said.
The White House has not confirmed that Iran is training Russian military personnel on the Fatah-360 or that it is preparing to send the weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine.
The two intelligence sources gave no exact time frame for the delivery of the Fatah-360 missiles to Russia, but said it would happen soon. They did not provide any information on Abibal's contract status.
A third intelligence source from another European agency said it had also received information that Russia had sent troops to Iran to train them in the use of Iranian ballistic missile systems, without providing further details.
A third source, who also declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the information, said such training is standard practice for Iranian weapons provided to Russia.
A senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Iran had sold missiles and drones to Russia but had not provided the Fatah-360 missiles. This source added: There is no legal prohibition for Tehran to sell such weapons to Russia.
Iran and Russia are mutually buying military parts and equipment. How each country uses this equipment is entirely up to them.”
This official added: In the framework of military cooperation, Iranian and Russian officials often traveled between the two countries.
“destabilizing measures”
Until now, Iran's military support for Moscow has been largely limited to unmanned witness attack drones, which carry a fraction of the explosives and are easier to shoot down because they are slower than ballistic missiles.
Iran's semi-official news agency announced in July 2023 that the new Fatah 360 training system was successfully tested by the ground forces of the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“The delivery of a large number of short-range ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia will increase further,” said Justin Brunk, a senior air force researcher at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a London-based defense think tank. under pressure on Ukraine's already vastly expanded missile defense systems.
“As ballistic threats, they can only be reliably intercepted by the upper layer of Ukrainian systems,” he said, referring to Ukraine's most advanced air defenses, such as the American-made Patriot systems and the European SAMP/T systems.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry had no immediate comment.
In March, G7 leaders expressed concern over reports that Iran was considering transferring ballistic missiles to Russia and warned in a statement that they would respond in a coordinated manner with significant action against Iran.
In response to questions from Reuters, the spokesman of the National Security Council noted that the newly elected president of Iran, Masoud Bishikian, “has claimed that he wants to adjust Iran's policies and interact with the world. “Destabilizing actions like this disappear in the face of this rhetoric.”
The spokesman of the British government expressed deep concern about the reports of Russian military personnel training in Iran. He said: Iran should not continue transferring ballistic missiles.
UN Security Council restrictions on Iran's export of certain missiles, drones and other technology expire in October 2023. However, the United States and the European Union have maintained sanctions against Iran's ballistic missile program amid concerns about arms exports to its proxies in the Middle East and to Iran. Russia.
In February, Reuters reported on the deepening of military cooperation between Iran and Russia and Moscow's interest in Iran's surface-to-surface missiles.
Sources told the news agency at the time that about 400 longer-range Fateh-110 surface-to-ground ballistic missiles had been delivered. But European intelligence sources told Reuters that according to their knowledge no transfer had yet taken place.
Ukrainian officials have not publicly reported finding any Iranian missile remnants or remnants during the war.
