Bloomberg: Iranian Government to Soon Provide Ballistic Missiles to Russia

Bloomberg reported on Monday, September 3, citing 'informed sources' whose identities have not been disclosed, that European officials expect the Iranian government to soon deliver ballistic missiles to Russia. Over the past two and a half years, the Islamic Republic has provided Russia with hundreds of drones, but the delivery of ballistic missiles, according to these unnamed sources, would be a concerning development in Russia's war against Ukraine. According to Bloomberg, these officials refrained from providing any estimates regarding the type and range of these missiles, as well as the timing of their delivery, but one of them stated that the delivery could begin in the coming days. Ballistic missiles generally have a higher speed compared to cruise missiles and drones and can carry larger payloads. This news comes as the United States and its NATO allies have repeatedly warned the Islamic Republic about the consequences of such an action in recent months. Washington, Tehran, and European countries have yet to respond officially to Bloomberg's report. Bloomberg also reported that the 'Group of 7' may condemn any transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia in a statement and express its concerns through diplomatic channels to regional partners in the Middle East. The increasing cooperation between the Iranian government and Russia in recent years has prompted Western countries to impose several extensive sanction packages against individuals and entities involved in these collaborations. According to the latest reports on the developments related to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian forces are still trying to prevent the advance of Russian occupying forces in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, was heavily targeted on Monday by drone and ballistic missile attacks from Russia, with 16 ballistic missiles managing to penetrate Ukraine's air defense systems. According to Ukrainian officials, the missile attacks on Kyiv on Monday utilized Russian-made Iskander-M missiles and North Korean-made KN-23 missiles. The Russian ballistic missile arsenal consists of both domestically produced missiles and those from North Korea, which have low accuracy. The continuation of Russia's nighttime attacks; Ukraine shot down three Shahed drones. The U.S. expressed concern over Iran's 'planning' to deliver ballistic missiles to Russia. Russia is training to purchase and use Iranian ballistic missiles; the White House: Russian-Iranian security cooperation threatens Europe. Ukraine shot down 9 Shahed drones made by the Islamic Republic.