The United States and Britain accused Iran of supplying Russia with short-range ballistic missiles on Tuesday, Sept. 10, and warned that Moscow plans to use the weapons soon. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the comments alongside British Foreign Secretary David Lammy during a joint press conference.
“Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine, against Ukrainians,” Blinken said.
He also said the move threatens more than just Ukraine.
“This development, and the growing cooperation between Russia and Iran, threatens European security and demonstrates how Iran’s destabilizing influence reaches far beyond the Middle East,” Blinken said.
Meanwhile, Iran has denied the accusations and said it has not supplied Russia with ballistic missiles.
According to Blinken, an announcement on sanctions against Iran would come later Tuesday.
The U.S. secretary of state’s comments come before a trip on Wednesday, Sept. 11, to Ukraine with Lammy. The pair will reportedly meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to talk about bulking up Kyiv’s defenses.
“I think it’s a critical moment for Ukraine,” Blinken said. “In the midst of what is an intense fall fighting season with Russia continuing to escalate its aggression. Its aggression against civilians, against critical infrastructure, and of course, against Ukrainian forces. We see it ramping up its attacks on cities, on people, in particular, targeting the energy infrastructure, electricity, in advance of the coldest months. Putin’s winter playbook of weaponizing energy and electricity.”
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff responded to Blinken’s statements, arguing that imposing sanctions on Iran is not enough. He urged Western allies to allow Kyiv to launch deep strikes into Russia using Western weapons.
However, it did not stop Kyiv from using its own weapons on Tuesday as it launched its biggest drone attack on Russian soil since the start of the war, striking multiple regions, including Moscow.
All of this is happening while Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk continues. Russia is still struggling to mount a defense against the invasion into its territory, the first since World War II.
