US Reaction to Report of 'Ballistic Missile Transfers from Iran to Russia': Islamic Republic Should Expect More Sanctions

John Kirby, National Security Advisor at the White House, said in a conversation with reporters on Thursday that there is still no evidence of ballistic missile transfers from Iran to Russia. The communications advisor to President Joe Biden stated that while the Islamic Republic has provided a significant number of drones, guided bombs, and artillery munitions to Russia, Washington has not yet confirmed that ballistic missiles have been transferred from Iran to Russia. However, John Kirby warned Iranian officials that in the coming days, Iran will face more sanctions for military cooperation with Russia, and if Iran sells ballistic missiles to Russia, the US will take further action. Reuters reported on February 21, citing six informed sources, that the Islamic Republic of Iran has delivered about 400 missiles, including short-range ballistic missiles Fateh-110 and Zulfiqar, to Russia. Kirby continued that the basis of the Reuters report is the boasts of Iranian officials who have delivered missiles to Russia for killing Ukrainians. This media official of the National Security Council stated: 'While we have closely monitored this issue of missile delivery from Iran to Russia, we have not seen any confirmation that the missiles have actually been transferred from Iran to Russia. However, the Reuters report indicates that the Iranians clearly state that they will send ballistic missiles to Russia, and we have no reason to believe that the Iranians will not do this.' John Kirby warned Iranian officials that in the coming days, Iran will face more sanctions for military cooperation with Russia, and if Iran sells ballistic missiles to Russia, the US will take further action. He urged Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives to quickly approve supplemental funding for continued military aid to Ukraine, which has long been stalled. Previously, in line with Kirby's remarks, the US State Department reacted to reports of extensive military cooperation between Iran and Russia, stating that Iran's arms purchases indicate Russia's increasing isolation, and the world should be concerned about military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran. Following the publication of the Reuters report about the Islamic Republic of Iran's provision of a large number of powerful ground-to-ground ballistic missiles to Russia, a spokesperson for the US State Department responded to the Persian section of Voice of America, saying: '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 around the world since the beginning of its war against Ukraine, we have seen an increase in military cooperation between Russia and Iran, and this is something that should concern the entire world. The Iranian Ministry of Defense and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the force overseeing Iran's ballistic missile program, declined to comment on this matter, and the Russian Ministry of Defense did not respond to Reuters' request for comment. Iranian sources told Reuters that the shipment of these missiles began in early last month to Russia, and so far at least four shipments of missiles have been sent by ship through the Caspian Sea to Russia, with some others transported by airplane, and additional shipments are expected in the coming weeks, all within the framework of an agreement finalized last year between military and security officials in Tehran and Moscow. The UN Security Council's restrictions on the export of certain missiles, drones, and other technologies from Iran ended last October. However, the US and the European Union maintained sanctions against the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile program amid concerns about arms exports to its proxy forces in the Middle East and Russia.