US reacts to Iranian missile transfer to Russian Federation

The USA has said that Iran's transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia would mean a sharp escalation of the war in Ukraine. This was stated by the speaker of the White House National Security Council Sean Savett, writes Reuters.

He noted that the US has long warned about the growing defence partnership between Russia and Iran, especially after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and stressed that the United States is "extremely concerned" about the latest reports of ballistic missile transfers.

The transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia would be a dramatic escalation of Iran's support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, Savett noted.

According to Reuters, the transfer of the missiles came after the US and partners, including in Europe, warned Iran that "such a move could have consequences."

Meanwhile, Ukraine's foreign ministry demanded Iran "prove the sincerity" of its claims of not being involved in arming Russia after media wrote about Iranian ballistic missiles possibly being sent to Russian Federation.

The Foreign Ministry indicated that it was deeply concerned over the reports about the transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia, and urged the Iranian authorities to refrain from doing so.

The Foreign Ministry recalled that Russia is shelling Ukraine on a daily basis, particularly with Iranian-made drones, so deepening co-operation between Russia and Iran "would have serious security risks" not only for Ukraine and the world.

The Times revealed that Russia has received a batch of ballistic missiles from Iran and could begin using the weapons, which fly at Mach 3 speeds over 100 kilometres.

Russia received 200 Fath-360 ballistic missiles. The missiles were loaded onto ships that arrived at a certain port in the Caspian Sea on Wednesday, 4 September," the publication said with reference to its sources.

The article points out that the Russian Federation will receive missiles of tactical range - that is, they will fly at a distance of up to 120 kilometres. Large cities, such as Kharkiv and Sumy, may be under attack. Settlements near the front line are also under threat.