Russia and Iran are strengthening cooperation, Ukraine and the West need to react: Sky News
The director of the CIA warned that any decision by Iran to supply Russia with ballistic missiles for the war in Ukraine would lead to a “significant escalation”. At the same time, Ukrainian sources claim that such deliveries have already taken place. By data Sky News, this is part of a wider cooperation between Moscow and Tehran.
Iran has already provided Russia with a significant number of drones, ammunition and artillery shells in exchange for financial aid and support in improving its own military technology. In addition, Russia has transferred to Iran captured samples of Western weapons, such as N-LAW anti-tank missiles.
CIA Director Bill Burns emphasized that cooperation between the two countries is bilateral. Russia is helping to improve Iran’s ballistic missiles, making them even more dangerous to Western allies in the Middle East. Speaking in London alongside MI6 chief Sir Richard Moore, Burns also said Iran’s ballistic missile deliveries would be readily apparent on the battlefield as their devastating effects became apparent.
Western governments have long warned about the possibility of such supplies, although Iran has previously refrained from providing Russia with its missiles due to the threat of additional sanctions. However, the situation changed after the UN sanctions that limited Iran’s missile program as part of the 2015 nuclear deal expired last October.
The head of MI6, Richard Moore, emphasized that if Iran is indeed supplying ballistic missiles to Russia, it will become “very obvious” after their use in Ukraine. He emphasized that Iran deliberately decided to help Russia in the war.
At the same time, Burns and Moore noted that they have not yet seen evidence that China is supplying Russia with conventional weapons for use in the war. However, according to them, China is helping Russia with dual-purpose technologies that can be used for both civilian and military purposes. This allowed Russia to significantly restore its defense and industrial complex over the past year and a half.
If the information about the supply of ballistic missiles by Iran is confirmed, the United States, Great Britain and other allies are likely to introduce new sanctions. Such a move could also change the West’s stance on providing Ukraine with long-range missiles, such as Britain’s Storm Shadow cruise missiles, to strike targets inside Russia. Western countries have so far refrained from such actions due to fears of a possible reaction from Moscow.
Burns emphasized that the West should not be intimidated by Putin, who periodically uses the rhetoric of escalation to pressure the international community.
Earlier, several sources reported that Iran has already transferred more than 200 Fatah-360 short-range ballistic missiles to Russia. Iranian MP Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani confirmed the supply of weapons to Russia, although Iran’s official mission to the UN denied the transfer of ballistic missiles.
