Pentagon: US to help Ukraine defend itself against Iranian missiles

The transfer of Iranian Fath 360 missiles to Russia will allow the Russians to "reserve" more advanced missiles with a longer range for other purposes. The United States will work with Ukraine to make sure that Kyiv has the capabilities to defend against these missiles. This was stated at a briefing by Pentagon spokesman Air Force Major General Pat Ryder, UNN reports citing the Pentagon press service.

"The United States has confirmed reports that Iran has transferred a shipment of Fath 360 short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, which we estimate could use them within weeks against Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of even more Ukrainian citizens," Pat Ryder said. He added that the ministry is currently unable to say how many missiles Russia has received.

As Ryder pointed out, the Fath 360 missiles are likely to have a range of about 75 miles (approximately 120 km) and will allow the Russians to reserve more advanced missiles with a longer range for other purposes.

"This is a short- and long-range ballistic missile system," he said.

This will allow Russia to utilize this capability while retaining its longer-range capabilities for use across the battlefield, thereby deepening Russia's arsenal and, again, giving it the ability to strike the targets we have seen, including civilian objects

Ryder said that the department believes that "dozens" of Russian military personnel have been trained in Iran to use the missile system.

It is not known what the Iranians received in exchange for the missiles. Ryder said officials speculate that intelligence information may have been part of the deal.

"Without going into specifics, we see that they are exchanging information related to nuclear programs, space and other technological capabilities that Russia possesses and that countries like Iran need," he said.

Ryder also said that, given Russia's growing relations with other unscrupulous players on the world stage, including North Korea, there is reason to expect that missile shipments from Iran will continue.

"The aspect of concern... is the developing relationship between Russia and Iran," he said.

 And you also see that Russia is developing a relationship with [North Korea] where it is essentially becoming a provider of capabilities. Therefore, we should assume that if Iran is supplying Russia with such missiles, it is most likely not a one-time favorable deal, but a source of opportunities that Russia will seek to use in the future

The U.S. official said that since the beginning of the Russian invasion, support for Ukraine has been focused on air defense, and this will continue - in particular, with a focus on the threat posed by new missiles.

"Air defense is something that we have been paying a lot of attention to for a long time when it comes to Ukraine," he said, adding that "it was a priority for the Ukrainians, and so it was a priority for us."

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Since then, Ryder said, the United States and partner countries have been working to provide Ukrainians with a variety of air defense systems designed to combat both short- and long-range missile threats.

"The development of an integrated air defense system for Ukraine has been going on for some time now, and we're not going to stop," Ryder said. "And [in the case of] these missiles, while they will certainly pose a threat, we will work with Ukraine to make sure...that they have the capabilities they need to defend against these missiles and other missiles that Russia is using, including drones," he added.

According to a Pentagon spokesperson, since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United States has provided more than $55.9 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. Air defense systems play an important role in this assistance. Among the air defense systems delivered are Patriot anti-aircraft batteries, National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, also called NASAMS, HAWK air defense systems, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, and Avenger air defense systems.

Recall

Washington has announced sanctions against Russian and Iranian organizations, officials and commercial vessels for  transferring Iranian ballistic missiles to Moscow. 

France, Germany and the United Kingdom (E3) issued a joint statement condemning Iran's ballistic missile exports to Russia and said they would take immediate steps to cancel bilateral air travel agreements with Iran and announce other restrictions.