TEHRAN: Dozens of Russian soldiers are being trained in Iran to use the Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile system, two European intelligence sources told Reuters, adding that hundreds of satellite-guided weapons were expected to be delivered to Russia soon for the war in Ukraine.
A Russian Defense Ministry delegation reportedly signed a contract with Iranian officials in Tehran on December 13 for the Fath-360 and another ballistic missile system called Ababil made by Iran's state-run Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), according to an intelligence official who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Citing multiple confidential sources, officials said Russian personnel had visited Iran to learn how to operate the Fath-360 defense system, which can fire missiles with a range of up to 120 kilometers (75 miles) and a 150-kilogram warhead. One source said the “only possible next step” after the training would be to actually deliver the missiles to Russia.
Moscow already has a wide range of ballistic missiles of its own, but the supply of Fath-360s will give Russia more weapons to use against targets beyond its front lines, and could allow it to use Iranian warheads against closer targets, military experts said.
A U.S. National Security Council spokesman said the U.S. and its NATO allies and G7 partners “stand ready to respond swiftly and severely if Iran proceeds with these transfers.”
“This would represent a dramatic escalation in Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” the spokesperson said. “The White House has repeatedly warned that security cooperation between Russia and Iran has deepened since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.”
The Russian 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 has established long-term strategic cooperation with Russia in various fields, including military cooperation.
“Nevertheless, from an ethical perspective, Iran refrained from transferring any weapons, including missiles, that could potentially be used until the conflict with Ukraine was over,” the statement said.
The White House declined to confirm that Iran is training Russian military personnel on the Fath-360 or that it is preparing to ship the weapon to Russia for use against Ukraine.
The two sources did not give an exact date for when the Fath-360 missiles would be delivered to Russia, but said they would be delivered soon. They did not provide information on the status of the Abibal contract.
A third source, from another European agency, said he had information that Russia had sent military personnel to Iran to train them in the use of Iranian ballistic missile systems, but did not give further details.
A third source, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the information, said such training was standard practice for Iranian weapons supplied to Russia.
A senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Iran had sold missiles and drones to Russia, but not the Fath-360 missiles. The source added that there was no legal prohibition on Tehran selling such weapons to Russia.
“Iran and Russia buy each other's parts and military equipment. How each country uses this equipment is entirely up to them,” the official said, adding that Iran did not sell weapons to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.
The official added that as part of military cooperation, Iranian and Russian officials frequently traveled between the two countries.
“Destabilizing Behavior”
So far, Iran’s military support to Moscow has been limited primarily to the unmanned Shahed attack drone, which carries only a small explosive payload and is slower than a ballistic missile, making it easier to shoot down.
Iran's semi-official news agency Tasnim reported in July 2023 that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces had successfully tested a new training system for the Fath 360.
“Any transfer of a large number of short-range ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia could further increase the strain on Ukraine’s already heavily overstretched missile defence system,” said Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow on air power at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a defence think tank in London.
He mentioned Ukraine's state-of-the-art air defense systems, including the American Patriot and European SAMP/T systems, saying, “As a ballistic threat, it can only be reliably intercepted at the upper tier of Ukrainian systems.”
The Ukrainian 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 with significant and coordinated action against Iran.
An NSC spokesperson responded to questions from Reuters by saying that Iran's newly elected president, Masoud Fezeshkian, has “claimed that Iran wants to moderate its policies and engage with the world.” Such destabilizing actions fly in the face of that rhetoric.
A British government spokesman expressed deep concern over reports that Russian soldiers were being trained in Iran. “Iran must not proceed with ballistic missile transfers,” he said.
UN Security Council restrictions on Iran’s export of some missiles, drones and other technology expire in October 2023. But the United States and the European Union have maintained sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile program amid concerns about arms exports to Iran’s Middle Eastern proxies and Russia.
Reuters reported in February that military cooperation between Iran and Russia was deepening, with Moscow showing interest in Iran's surface-to-surface missiles.
The source told the news agency at the time that about 400 Fateh-110 long-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles had been delivered. However, a European intelligence source told Reuters that according to the information, the deliveries have not yet taken place.
Ukrainian authorities have not officially reported finding any Iranian missile debris or remnants during the war.
