TEHRAN: Dozens of Russian military personnel are being trained in Iran to use the Fath-360 ballistic missile system, two European intelligence sources told Reuters, adding that they expected hundreds of the satellite-guided weapons to be delivered to Russia. its war in Ukraine.
Representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry are believed to have signed a contract on December 13 in Tehran with Iranian officials for the Fath-360 and another ballistic missile system built by Iran's state-owned Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) called Ababil, according to the intelligence agency. officials, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Citing several confidential intelligence sources, the officials said Russian personnel have visited Iran to learn how to use the Fath-360 defense system, which fires missiles with a maximum range of 120 km (75 miles) and a warhead of 150 kg. One of the sources said the “only next possible” step after the exercise would be actual delivery of the missiles to Russia.
Moscow has a range of ballistic missiles of its own, but the supply of the Fath-360 could allow Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets beyond the front line, while using Iranian warheads for targets at closer range, a military expert said.
A spokesman for the US National Security Council said the US and its NATO allies and G7 partners “are prepared to provide a swift and severe response should Iran proceed with such transfers.”
It “would represent a dramatic escalation of Iran's support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine,” the spokesman said. “The White House has repeatedly warned of the deepening security partnership between Russia and Iran since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.”
Russia's Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York said in a statement that the Islamic Republic had forged a long-term strategic partnership with Russia in various fields, including military cooperation.
“Nevertheless, from an ethical point of view, Iran refrains from transferring any weapons, including missiles, that could potentially be used in the conflict with Ukraine until it is over,” the statement said.
The White House declined to confirm that Iran was training Russian military personnel on the Fath-360 or that it was preparing to send the weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine.
The two intelligence sources did not give an exact time frame for the expected delivery of Fath-360 missiles to Russia but said it would happen soon. They did not provide any information on the status of the Abibal contract.
A third intelligence source from another European agency said it had also received information that Russia had sent soldiers to Iran to train in the use of Iranian ballistic missile systems, without giving further details.
Such training is standard practice for Iranian weapons supplied to Russia, said the third source, who also declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the information.
A senior Iranian official, requesting anonymity, said Iran had sold missiles and drones to Russia but had not provided Fath-360 missiles. There was no legal prohibition against Tehran selling such weapons to Russia, the source added.
“Iran and Russia engage in mutual purchases of parts and military equipment. How each country uses this equipment is entirely their decision,” the official said, adding that Iran did not sell weapons to Russia for use in the Ukraine war.
As part of the military cooperation, Iranian and Russian officials frequently traveled between the two states, the official added.
“Destabilizing Actions”
Until now, Iran's military support to Moscow has been mainly limited to unmanned Shahed 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 Tasnim news agency said in July 2023 that a new Fath 360 training system had been successfully tested by the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ground force.
Justin Bronk, Senior Research Fellow for Air Power at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a London-based defense think tank, said: “Delivery of a large number of short-range ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia would allow for a further increase in pressure on already severely overstretched Ukrainian missile defense systems. “
“As ballistic threats, they could only be reliably intercepted by the upper level of Ukrainian systems,” he said, referring to the most sophisticated air defenses Ukraine has, such as the US-made Patriot and 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.
The NSC spokesman, in response to Reuters questions, noted that Iran's newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian “claimed that he wanted to moderate Iran's politics and engage with the world. Destabilizing actions like this go against that rhetoric.”
A UK government spokesman expressed deep concern at reports suggesting Russian military personnel are being trained in Iran. “Iran must not continue” with the transfer of ballistic missiles, he said.
UN Security Council restrictions on Iran's exports of certain missiles, drones and other technology expired in October 2023. However, the United States and the European Union maintained sanctions on Iran's ballistic missile program due to concerns over arms exports to its Middle East proxies and to Russia.
Reuters reported in February on deepening military cooperation between Iran and Russia and on Moscow's interest in Iranian surface-to-surface missiles.
Sources told the news agency at the time that about 400 Fateh-110 longer-range ballistic missiles had been delivered. But the European intelligence sources told Reuters that according to their information no transfer had yet taken place.
Ukrainian authorities have not publicly reported finding any Iranian missile remnants or debris during the war.
