Russian Ship Suspected of Carrying Iranian-Made Ballistic Missiles Sighted in Port on the Caspian Sea

Satellite images shared with CNN show a Russian cargo ship suspected of carrying Iranian-made ballistic missiles for use in Moscow's assault on Ukraine was seen a week ago at a Russian port in the Caspian Sea. The ship, named 'Port Olia-3', was identified by Maxar Technologies in satellite images taken on September 5 at the Olia port in Astrakhan. According to ship tracking information, this vessel had previously been at Amirabad port in Iran's Mazandaran province on August 30. The ship then turned off its transponder for a period. The U.S. Treasury Department stated in an assessment on Tuesday that the Russian Ministry of Defense 'used the Port Olia-3 ship to transfer short-range ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia.' The department announced sanctions against this ship along with other vessels and several Iranian individuals, stating that Moscow received its first shipment of short-range ballistic missiles from Tehran in early September 2024. Western media had previously reported that Russia was seeking to obtain such missiles from Iran. However, Iranian officials have consistently denied reports of sending weapons to Russia during its invasion of Ukraine. The Islamic Republic has provided these weapons to Russia while Moscow has taken positions against Iran regarding the Zangezur corridor or the three islands in the Persian Gulf, which have been criticized multiple times within Iran. Furthermore, advanced Sukhoi aircraft, which Iranian media have repeatedly claimed the agreement for has been finalized, have still not been delivered to Tehran. Iranian officials had stated in 2022 that the agreement to purchase Sukhoi-35 fighter jets from Russia had been finalized. Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has remained silent on many of these issues regarding Russia. Additionally, the transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia has led to the U.S. and its European allies sanctioning Iran Air. The U.S. Secretary of State stated that the delivery of missiles to Russia during the presidency of Raisi contradicts his claims of improving Iran's economy. The foreign ministers of the U.S. and the U.K. in Kyiv stated that Putin has intensified the war by receiving missiles from the Islamic Republic. Closer ties between Russia and the Islamic Republic; Shoigu announced a new bilateral treaty to be signed in the near future. The U.S. stated that military cooperation between the Islamic Republic and Russia is destabilizing and harmful to neighbors. Iran claims that the agreement to purchase Sukhoi-35 fighter jets from Russia has been finalized.