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Ukraine voices concern at reports of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia


FILE - A missile is launched during a drill in southern Iran in this photo released by the Iranian army's website on Jan. 19, 2024. European intelligence sources say Russians are being trained in Iran to use a close-range ballistic missile system.
FILE - A missile is launched during a drill in southern Iran in this photo released by the Iranian army's website on Jan. 19, 2024. European intelligence sources say Russians are being trained in Iran to use a close-range ballistic missile system.

Ukraine's foreign ministry said Saturday it was deeply concerned by reports about a possible impending transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia.

In a statement emailed to reporters, the ministry said the deepening military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow was a threat to Ukraine, Europe and the Middle East, and called on the international community to increase pressure on Iran and Russia.

CNN and The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Iran had transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, citing unidentified sources.

Reuters reported in August that Russia was expecting the imminent delivery of hundreds of Fath-360 close-range ballistic missiles from Iran and that dozens of Russian military personnel were being trained in Iran on the satellite-guided weapons for eventual use in the war in Ukraine.

On Friday, the United States, a key ally of Ukraine, also voiced concern about the potential transfer of missiles.

"Any transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia would represent a dramatic escalation in Iran's support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine," White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said.

Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York said Friday that Tehran's position on the Ukraine conflict was unchanged.

"Iran considers the provision of military assistance to the parties engaged in the conflict — which leads to increased human casualties, destruction of infrastructure, and a distancing from cease-fire negotiations — to be inhumane," it said.

"Thus, not only does Iran abstain from engaging in such actions itself, but it also calls upon other countries to cease the supply of weapons to the sides involved in the conflict."

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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