In fact, Iran is showering Russia with ballistic missiles. Several anonymous sources told Reuters that Tehran has so far delivered at least 400 weapons to Moscow. The payloads contained several missiles with different ranges, for example there were also effective weapons with a range of 300 and 700 kilometers.
According to the information, the first shipment left for the Russians in January 2024, after the two parties terminated the contract in December 2023.
So far, at least four shipments have been identified, and according to the Iranian source, additional shipments will assist Russian forces in the near future.
Some of the ballistic missiles are said to have reached Russia via the Caspian Sea, while others were flown in. So far, neither the Iranian nor the Russian authorities have wanted to respond to this news.
Western countries have imposed strict sanctions on Iran and Russia, but business continues. The UN Security Council also imposed a ban on the export of missiles, drones and other technology to the Persian state, but the restrictions ended in October.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said in January that after North Korea, Russia likely plans to acquire short-range missiles from Iran as well. Kiev has not yet announced the impact of the Shiite state's weapons in Ukraine, so it is expected that Moscow has not yet deployed them. If this news turns out to be true, this could be very bad news for the Ukrainians, because Iranian precision missiles hit their targets accurately, compared to North Korea's imprecise technology.
It is very difficult for air defense to destroy these devices, which is why Ukraine, which is already suffering from a serious shortage of supplies, may suffer more serious losses.
The cover image is an illustration. Cover image source: Fatima Bahrami/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
