The United States formally accused Iran this week of supply Russia with missiles amid its ongoing war with Ukraine.
On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London, where he spoke about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and announced that sanctions will be placed against Iran for supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Moscow.
“Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine, against Ukrainians,” Blinken said during his meeting. “The supply of Iranian missiles enables Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets that are further from the front line.”
Blinken and Lammy are set to make a joint visit to Ukraine on Wednesday, where they will meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and other senior officials to discuss strengthening the country’s defenses. Meanwhile, the Kremlin is working to push back against Ukraine’s recent surprise offensive, which has claimed hundreds of miles of territory in Russia’s Kursk region.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference following a meeting with Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on September 10, 2024, in London, England. During his meeting, Blinken formally accused Iran of supplying Russia with missiles.
Alberto Pezzali – WPA Pool/Getty Images/Getty Images
The accusations surrounding Iranian missile involvement could strengthen Zelensky’s calls for the U.S. and its allies to permit Kyiv to strike deeper into Russian territory using Western-supplied weaponry. While President Joe Biden has allowed the use of U.S.-provided missiles for defensive strikes across the Russian border, he has mostly restricted their range, citing concerns over a potential escalation of the conflict.
Earlier this week, a report from The Wall Street Journal citing U.S. and European officials alleged that the Islamic Republic had provided Moscow with short-range ballistic missiles.
However, in a statement shared with Newsweek, the Iranian Mission to the United Nations stated that Iran had not provided weapons to either side of the conflict in Ukraine and called on other nations to cease doing so.
“Iran’s position vis-à-vis the Ukraine conflict remains unchanged,” the Iranian Mission said. “Iran considers the provision of military assistance to the parties engaged in the conflict—which leads to increased human casualties, destruction of infrastructure, and a distancing from ceasefire negotiations—to be inhumane.”
Following the report by The Wall Street Journal, Andrii Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, shared a post on Telegram saying that Ukraine should be permitted to strike missile storage facilities within Russia.
“In response to the supply of ballistic missiles to Russia, Ukraine must be allowed to destroy warehouses storing these missiles with Western weapons in order to avoid terror,” Yermak said, though he did not specify which country was supplying the missiles.
This article includes reporting from the Associated Press.
