Iran delivers ballistic missiles to Russia, sanctions pending

Iran has delivered short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, as revealed by the "Wall Street Journal." The newspaper cites American and European officials. The USA and the EU had previously warned that such a move by Iran would be met with sanctions.

The newspaper did not specify when the transfer occurred or which missiles Russia received. According to a cited U.S. representative, "Eventually, several hundred units were delivered."

Leaders in Washington and other G7 and EU capitals have repeatedly warned for over a year that the sale of Iranian missiles to Russia is likely. At the same time, they announced that such a move would be met with a "stern and swift response".

According to the "WSJ," preparations for imposing coordinated sanctions were already undertaken this summer, and the USA and the EU are currently working on finalizing the package.

According to unofficial information, the sanctions are to include, among other things, a ban on Iranian airlines flying to European airports, as well as restrictions on companies involved in the delivery.

The "Wall Street Journal" writes that despite earlier announcements of more decisive steps, including returning to sanctions lifted after the conclusion of the nuclear agreement with Iran (JCPOA), in recent weeks, European diplomats have signalled that "apart from the aviation sector, other economic and banking ties with Iran will not be severed."

Tehran is the second largest supplier of ballistic missiles to Russia after North Korea.

It is not clear which missiles Russia received. Previous reports mentioned Fath 360 and Ababil missiles, which have ranges of up to 120 kilometres and 85 kilometres, respectively. The "WSJ" emphasizes that Tehran also has missiles with a range of up to 800 kilometres in its arsenal.

Reports of the weapons transfer come at a time when Ukrainian air defence systems are overwhelmed by Russian bombardments.