Moscow has a variety of ballistic missiles, a military expert suggested that the supply of Fath-360s would enable Russia to allocate more of its arsenal to targets farther away from the front lines
TEHRAN: Two European intelligence sources informed the media that hundreds of the satellite-guided weaponry would soon be delivered to Russia for use in its conflict in Ukraine. The sources also stated that dozens of Russian military personnel are undergoing training in Iran to operate the Fath-360 close-range ballistic missile system.
The Iranian government-owned Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) built the Ababil ballistic missile system, along with the Fath-360, and Russian defence ministry representatives are thought to have signed a contract for these systems on December 13 in Tehran, according to intelligence officials who asked to remain anonymous to discuss sensitive issues. The authorities alleged that Russian soldiers had travelled to Iran to receive training on how to operate the Fath-360 defence system, which launches missiles with a maximum range of 120 km (75 miles) and a warhead of 150 kg.
They cited various classified intelligence sources in support of their claims. According to one of the insiders, delivering the missiles to Russia would be “the only next possible” step after training. Although Moscow has a variety of ballistic missiles of its own, a military expert suggested that the supply of Fath-360s would enable Russia to allocate more of its arsenal to targets farther away from the front lines while using Iranian payloads for targets closer to home. A request for comment was not answered by Russia’s Ministry of Defence.
Iran has established a long-term strategic collaboration with Russia in several areas, including military cooperation, according to a statement from Iran’s permanent mission to the UN in New York. “Nevertheless, from an ethical standpoint, Iran refrains from transferring any weapons, including missiles, that could potentially be used in the conflict with Ukraine until it is over,” stated the statement. The Russian military was being trained on the Fath-360 by Iran, and the White House refused to confirm that Iran was getting ready to transfer the weaponry to Russia so that it might be used against Ukraine.
The two intelligence sources stated that Russia will get the Fath-360 missiles soon, but they did not specify when exactly. They gave no information about the current state of the Abibal contract. Without giving any more information, a third intelligence source from a different European agency claimed to have also heard that Russia had dispatched soldiers to Iran for training on how to use Iranian ballistic missile systems. The third source, who also asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the information, claimed that such training is a typical procedure for Iranian weaponry provided to Russia.
#IranRussiaMissileDeal, #BallisticMissiles, #UkraineConflict, #Fath360, #MilitaryCooperation, #Geopolitics, #RussiaIranAlliance, #DefenseStrategy,
