U.S., Britain accuse Iran of sending missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine

By MATTHEW LEE and JILL LAWLESS

LONDON (AP) — The United States and Britain formally accused Iran on Tuesday of supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine and will take steps to punish those involved.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking alongside British Foreign Secretary David Lammy during a visit to London, said sanctions would be announced later on Tuesday.

“Russia has now received deliveries of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them in the coming weeks in Ukraine, against the Ukrainians,” Blinken said. “The Iranian missile supply allows Russia to use more of its arsenal against targets further away from the front lines.”

Blinken and Lammy are preparing to make a joint visit to Ukraine on Wednesday, where they will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other senior officials to discuss bolstering the country’s defenses as the Kremlin tries to repel Ukraine’s surprise offensive that has seized hundreds of miles of territory in Russia’s Kursk region.

The Iranian missile accusations could encourage Zelensky to further increase pressure on the United States and other allies to allow Ukraine to use Western-supplied missiles to strike deep into Russia and strike sites from which Moscow launches airstrikes. President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to fire U.S.-supplied missiles across the border into Russia in self-defense, but has largely limited the distance out of fear of further escalation of the conflict.

That hasn’t stopped Ukraine from using its own weapons to strike targets deeper inside Russia, launching one of the largest drone attacks on Russian soil since the start of the two-and-a-half-year war that has targeted several regions, including Moscow.

Lammy called Iranian missile transfers to Russia “a worrying trend that we’re seeing. It’s certainly a significant escalation.”

Iran has denied supplying Russia with weapons for its war in Ukraine.

“Iran considers the provision of military assistance to the parties engaged in the conflict – which leads to increased human losses, destruction of infrastructure and a move away from ceasefire negotiations – to be inhumane,” according to a recent statement by the Iranian mission to the United Nations.

Rumors of the alleged transfers began to emerge over the weekend, with U.S. intelligence officials indicating they were underway, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The United States and its allies have been warning Iran for months not to transfer ballistic missiles to Russia.

CIA Director William Burns, who was in London on Saturday for a joint appearance with his British intelligence counterpart, warned of the growing and “troubling” defense relationship involving Russia, China, Iran and North Korea that he said threatens both Ukraine and Western allies in the Middle East.

The White House has repeatedly declassified and released intelligence findings showing that North Korea has sent munitions and missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine, while Iran also supplies Moscow with attack drones and helped the Kremlin build a drone manufacturing plant.

China has refrained from supplying weapons to Russia, but has increased its sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology that Moscow in turn uses to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weapons, according to U.S. officials.

Biden is expected to host British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for talks at the White House on Friday, with support for Ukraine’s defense on the agenda.

Originally published: September 10, 2024 at 06:22