An advocacy organization is blaming the failure of effective policies by Washington toward Tehran during the last two U.S. administrations for strengthening military links between Iran and Russia.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that hundreds of unidentified short-range ballistic missiles have been shipped from Tehran to Moscow, with more shipments feared. The article cited anonymous European and American sources.
Iran has repeatedly denied arming any party to the crisis started by Russian President Vladimir Putin. But Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles, like those drones known as Shahed-131/136, have wreaked havoc across Ukraine since the beginning of the war.
The nonprofit National Iranian American Council, which advocates for U.S.-Iranian relations and has been labeled pro-Iranian, replied to the report by condemning Tehran’s alleged supply of the ballistic missiles for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “a direct step against the interests of peace and stability.”
Related Posts
NIAC policy director Ryan Costello said, “Stronger military ties between Russia and Iran are an unfortunate and predictable consequence of the Trump administration’s decision to snap back sanctions on Iran and scuttle hard-fought efforts to improve ties with the West.”
As president, Donald Trump yanked the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal Washington had brokered with Iran and other global powers, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. While he said he would re-enter the Iran deal when he first took office in 2021, President Joe Biden has not done so.
“More sanctions for deepening Russia-Iran military ties will not seriously punish either nation’s leaders, as each nation is already deeply sanctioned,” Costello added. “The U.S. and Europe must make a break from the dead-end policies of escalation and isolation, and find a way to de-escalate across the board with Iran.”
The Iranian Mission to the UN earlier told Newsweek that Tehran has not sent weaponry to either side of the Ukrainian war and “military assistance to the parties engaged in the conflict” would be “inhumane.”
At least two of Iran’s defense industrial facilities have expanded over the past year, churning out missiles and drones outside of Tehran, some of which are bound for Russia, according to a July Reuters investigation.
In a report out Friday, the Institute for the Study of War said Russia will likely use ballistic missiles provided by Iran to attack Ukrainian energy, military, and civilian infrastructure through this coming fall and winter – part of what was characterized as “the deepening strategic partnership between Iran and Russia.”.
According to the ISW, in a meeting last month with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Tehran, Iran had lobbied Moscow for Sukhoi Su-35 aircraft, which would strengthen the Islamic republic’s air force.
According to ISW, Tehran has also sought Russian help in the advance of its space, missile, and cyber programs. This therefore has forced the US and other European nations to be ready to impose sanctions.
