TEHRAN: Dozens of Russian servicemen are being trained in Iran to use the Fath-360 short-range missile system, two European intelligence sources told Reuters, adding that they expected hundreds of the satellite-guided weapons to be delivered to Russia soon for its war in Ukraine.
Russian Defense Ministry officials reportedly signed a contract with Iranian officials in Tehran on Dec. 13 for the Fath-360 and another ballistic missile system from Iran's state-owned Aerospace Industrial Organization (AIO) called Ababil, according to the intelligence officials, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive issues.
Citing several confidential intelligence sources, the officials said Russian personnel had visited Iran to learn how to operate the Fath-360 defense system, which fires missiles with a maximum range of 120 km and a 150 kg warhead. One of the sources said that after the training, “the only possible next step” would be the actual delivery of the missiles to Russia.
Moscow has a number of its own ballistic missiles, but the delivery of Fath-360 missiles could allow Russia to use a larger part of its arsenal for targets beyond the front line while using Iranian warheads for targets at shorter ranges, a military expert said.
A spokesman for the US National Security Council said the United States and its NATO allies and G7 partners were “prepared to respond swiftly and decisively should Iran undertake such renditions.”
This would mean “a dramatic escalation of Iranian support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine,” the spokesman said. “The White House has repeatedly warned against a deepening of the security partnership between Russia and Iran since the beginning of the large-scale Russian 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 built a long-term strategic partnership with Russia in various areas, including military cooperation.
“Nevertheless, for ethical reasons, Iran will refrain from supplying any weapons, including missiles, that could potentially be used in the conflict with Ukraine until that conflict is resolved,” the statement said.
The White House declined to confirm that Iran is training Russian military personnel on the Fath-360 or preparing to supply the weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine.
The two intelligence sources did not give an exact timeframe 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 them in the use of Iranian ballistic missile systems, but did not provide further details.
Such training is common practice in Iranian arms deliveries to Russia, said the third source, who also did not want to be named because of the sensitivity of the information.
A senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Iran has sold missiles and drones to Russia but has not supplied Fath-360 missiles. There is no legal ban on Tehran selling such weapons to Russia, the source added.
“Iran and Russia buy parts and military equipment from each other. How each country uses this equipment is its sole decision,” the official said, adding that Iran had not sold weapons to Russia for use in the Ukraine war.
As part of military cooperation, Iranian and Russian officials frequently travel between the two countries, the official added.
“Destabilizing actions”
So far, Iran's military support for Moscow has been essentially limited to unmanned Shahed combat drones, which carry only a fraction of the explosive power and are easier to shoot down than ballistic missiles because of their slowness.
Iran's semi-official news agency Tasnim reported in July 2023 that a new training system for the Fath 360 had been successfully tested by the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ground forces.
Justin Bronk, senior research fellow for air forces at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a London-based defence think tank, said: “The delivery of large numbers of short-range ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia would further increase pressure on Ukraine's already severely overstretched missile defence systems.”
“As ballistic threats, they could only be reliably intercepted by top-class Ukrainian systems,” he said, referring to Ukraine's most modern air defense systems, such as the US-made Patriot and European SAMP/T systems.
There was initially no comment from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
In March, G7 leaders expressed concern over reports that Iran was considering supplying ballistic missiles to Russia and warned in a statement that they would respond in a coordinated manner with drastic measures against Iran.
Responding to questions from Reuters, the NSC spokesman said newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian “claimed he wanted to moderate Iranian policy and engage with the world. Destabilizing actions like these contradict that rhetoric.”
A British government spokesman expressed deep concern about reports that Russian military personnel were being trained in Iran. “Iran must not continue to supply ballistic missiles,” he said.
UN Security Council restrictions on the export of certain missiles, drones and other technology from Iran expire in October 2023. However, the United States and European Union maintained sanctions on Iran's ballistic missile program, citing concerns about arms exports to its proxies in the Middle East and Russia.
Reuters reported in February about deepening military cooperation between Iran and Russia and Moscow's interest in Iranian surface-to-surface missiles.
Sources told the news agency at the time that around 400 longer-range Fateh-110 surface-to-surface missiles had been delivered, but European intelligence sources told Reuters that, according to their information, no delivery had yet taken place.
Ukrainian authorities have not publicly stated that they found any remains or debris of Iranian missiles during the war.
