Hundreds of satellite-guided weapons will soon be delivered to Russia for use in its conflict in Ukraine, two European intelligence sources told Reuters. The sources also said dozens of Russian military personnel are undergoing training in Iran to operate the Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile system.
Iran’s government-run Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) built the Ababil ballistic missile system along with the Fath-360, and representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry likely signed a contract for the systems on Dec. 13 in Tehran, according to intelligence officials.
Authorities claimed Russian soldiers traveled to Iran to receive training in the operation of the Fath-360 defense system, which fires missiles with a maximum range of 120 km (75 mi) and a 150 kg warhead. They cited various secret intelligence sources to support their claims. According to one of the insiders, delivering the missiles to Russia would be the “only next possible” step after the training.
Iran has established long-term strategic cooperation with Russia in several areas, including military cooperation, according to a statement by Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations in New York.
The Russian military has been trained on the Fath-360 by Iran, and the White House has refused to confirm that Iran is planning to transfer the weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine.
The two intelligence sources said Russia would soon receive the Fath-360 missiles, but did not specify when exactly. They did not provide any information on the current status of the Abibal contract.
Without giving further details, a third intelligence source from another European agency said he had also heard that Russia had sent troops to Iran for training on how to use Iran’s ballistic missile systems.
A third source, who also did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the information, said such training is typical procedure for Iranian weapons provided to Russia.
A senior Iranian official, who requested confidentiality, claimed that while Iran has supplied Russia with drones and missiles, it has not sent any Fath-360 missiles to Russia. The insider said that Tehran has no legal obligation to stop the sale of these types of weapons to Russia.
“Parts and military equipment are purchased jointly by Iran and Russia. The person said that Iran has not supplied Russia with any weapons that could be used in the conflict in Ukraine. It is entirely up to each country how to use this equipment,” the official said.
Officials from Iran and Russia frequently traveled between the two countries as part of their military cooperation, the official continued.
