Russia receives about 400 ballistic missiles from Iran

Since the beginning of 2024, Iran has already sent several batches of its surface-to-surface ballistic missiles to Russia as part of agreements to deepen cooperation between the two countries.

Three Iranian-based Reuters sources said that Iran had provided Russia with about 400 missiles, most of which belong to the Fateh-110 group of short-range Iranian ballistic missiles. Some of them have a range of 300 to 700 kilometres, according to Ukrainska Pravda.

One source clarified that the missiles began to be supplied to Russia in early January as part of the agreements concluded in late 2023 during meetings at the level of military and intelligence services in Tehran and Moscow. Some of the deliveries were made by plane, some by ship across the Caspian Sea.

"There will be more shipments. There is no reason to hide it. We are allowed to export weapons to any country that we wish to," the Iranian official told Reuters.

At the same time, one of the Iranian sources said that the military partnership of Tehran and Moscow "has shown the world Iran's defence capabilities" and "does not mean we are taking sides with Russia in the Ukraine conflict".

Two American and Ukrainian sources told Reuters that they have not yet recorded the use of Iranian missiles by Russian forces. The US had previously predicted that Russia could receive ballistic missiles from Iran in the spring of 2024.

Defence cooperation between Iran and Russia intensified after the latter launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In December, Russia and Iran signed a declaration in which they promised to work together to counter Western sanctions.

In late November, Iran announced the finalisation of a deal with Russia to supply Su-35 fighter jets, as well as Russian-made Mi-28 attack helicopters and Yak-130 trainer aircraft.