Iran promised Russia additional drones and ground-to-ground missiles

Iran has promised to provide Russia with ground-to-ground missiles in addition to more drones.

Two senior Iranian officials and two Iranian diplomats told Reuters.

The agreement was agreed to on Oct. 6 when Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mohber, two senior officials from the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and an official from the Supreme National Security Council visited Moscow for talks with Russia on arms deliveries.

"The Russians asked for more drones and Iranian precision-guided ballistic missiles, particularly the Fateh and Zolfaghar families of missiles," said one Iranian diplomat who was briefed on the trip.

A Western official briefed on the matter confirmed this, saying that there is an agreement between Iran and Russia to provide short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, including the Zolfaghar.

The Iranian diplomat rejected claims by Western officials that such supplies violate a 2015 UN Security Council resolution.

"Where they are being used is not a seller's issue. We are not taking sides in the Ukrainian crisis like the West. We want to end the crisis through diplomatic means," the diplomat said.

The appearance of Iranian missiles in addition to drones in Moscow's arsenal in the war with Ukraine will increase tensions between Iran and the United States and other Western nations.

The U.S. State Department estimated that Iranian drones were used in Monday morning's attack on Kyiv. White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre also accused Tehran of lying when it said Iranian drones were not used by Russia in Ukraine.

The European diplomat said his country estimates that Russia is finding it increasingly difficult to produce weapons for itself, given sanctions against its industrial sector, so it is turning to imports from partners such as Iran and North Korea.

Author - Olena Madiak, 18/10/2022