State Department warns of tougher sanctions if Iran supplies missiles to Russia

The U.S. and its allies are poised to impose stricter sanctions on Iran if Tehran proceeds with transferring ballistic missiles to Moscow.

Vedant Patel, Deputy Chief of Press at the State Department, made this warning during a recent briefing, Caliber.Az reports.

Patel emphasized that the U.S. and its partners, as stated at the G7 and NATO summits, are prepared to take swift and decisive action against Iran if it escalates its support for Russia's aggression in Ukraine by supplying missiles.

Earlier, reports indicated that European intelligence agencies anticipate Iran may soon provide Russia with hundreds of short-range ballistic missiles. However, White House National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby mentioned on August 9 that there is no confirmed information regarding these potential deliveries.

Both Moscow and Tehran have denied accusations that Iranian drones are being supplied to Russia for use in Ukraine. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov labelled these reports as false, asserting that the Russian military relies solely on domestically produced drones. In November 2022, Iran's Foreign Minister admitted to supplying a limited number of drones to Russia.