G7 allies warned Iran that they would impose sanctions, including a ban on Iran Air flights to Europe, if Tehran proceeds to send ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine.
“Were Iran to proceed with providing ballistic missiles or related technology to Russia, we are prepared to respond swiftly and in a coordinated manner, including with new and significant measures against Iran,” the countries said in a joint statement.
Last month, Reuters reported that Iran has already sent 400 surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, including Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar missiles, with strike ranges of 300 km and 700 km, respectively, citing sources from Iran.
However, Washington said that they are not able to confirm Russia receiving these missiles, but Iran is preparing to transfer them.
The United States said that Iran has already sent a significant number of drones, guided aerial bombs, and artillery ammunition to Russia.
Moreover, Russia is also mass-producing Iranian Shahed 136 drones locally, mostly using domestically made components, and has also made some improvements, such as using black-coloured radar-absorbing coatings to avoid detection by radars.
The first pictures of Russian-made drones from factories have emerged on social media recently.
The United States has been accusing Iran of planning to send ballistic missiles to Russia for more than a year.
Now, amid reports about Russia receiving missiles from Iran, the country, along with G7 allies, is preparing to impose fresh sanctions if it receives confirmation about the transfer.
While the White House said it didn’t have confirmation about the delivery of Iranian missiles, it accused Russia of using North Korean-supplied short-range ballistic missiles in Ukraine in early January.
Last month, Ukrainian media claimed that Russia used at least 24 North Korean missiles, possibly KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles, to attack civilians in Ukraine.
Notably, Ukraine has been using US-supplied ATACMS ballistic missiles since October 2023, and many experts previously warned the US that sending ballistic missiles to Ukraine would lead Russia to acquire similar missiles from its allies like Iran and China.
Given that Ukraine began using US-made ballistic missiles, there is a strong possibility that Russia has already acquired or is in the process of acquiring missiles from Iran and North Korea.
