Exclusive; US State Department: The World Should Be Concerned About Military Cooperation Between Iran and Russia

The US State Department, in response to reports regarding extensive military cooperation between Iran and Russia, stated that Iran's arms purchases indicate Russia's increasing isolation, and the world should be concerned about military collaboration between Moscow and Tehran. Following a Reuters report about the Islamic Republic of Iran providing a significant number of powerful ground-to-ground ballistic missiles to Russia, a spokesperson for the US State Department told the Persian section of Voice of America: "We have long warned that Russia is negotiating with Iran to acquire short-range ballistic missiles, and these negotiations are actively progressing." He continued: "As Russia has become more isolated globally since the start of its war against Ukraine, we have witnessed increased military cooperation between Russia and Iran, and this is something that should concern the entire world." Reuters, in an exclusive report citing six informed sources, states that the Islamic Republic of Iran has delivered approximately 400 missiles, including short-range ballistic weapons such as the Fateh-110 and Zulfiqar, to Russia. According to experts, these road-mobile missiles can target locations at distances of 300 to 700 kilometers. The Iranian Ministry of Defense and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which oversees Iran's ballistic missile program, declined to comment on the matter, and the Russian Ministry of Defense has also not responded to Reuters' request for comment. Iranian sources told Reuters that the shipment of these missiles to Russia began in early last month, and so far, at least four missile shipments have been sent by ship through the Caspian Sea to Russia, with others transported by air, and additional shipments are expected in the coming weeks, all under an agreement finalized last year between military and security officials in Tehran and Moscow. John Kirby, the National Security Council's Strategic Communications Coordinator, expressed concern during a press conference on Thursday, January 4, about the progress of negotiations between the Islamic Republic and Russia for the Kremlin to purchase short-range ballistic missiles from Tehran. He stated that Washington, in addition to imposing further sanctions, would refer the issue to the United Nations Security Council. The United Nations Security Council's restrictions on the export of certain missiles, drones, and other technologies from Iran expired last October. However, the US and the European Union have maintained sanctions against the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile program amid concerns about the export of weapons to its proxy forces in the Middle East and Russia.