US, UK formally accuse Iran of supplying missiles to Russia for Ukraine war; announces sanctions
The move to supply missiles to Russia is seen as a significant escalation to the war in Ukraine, with Iran denying any involvement
The United States and Britain formally accused Iran on Tuesday of supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to use in the war in Ukraine, and will take measures to punish those involved.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking alongside British Foreign Secretary David Lammy during a visit to London, said that sanctions would be announced later on Tuesday.
“Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine, against Ukrainians,” Blinken said. “The supply of Iranian missiles enables Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets that are further from the front line.”
It comes as Blinken and Lammy are preparing to make a joint visit Wednesday to Ukraine, where they will meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and other senior officials to discuss bolstering the country’s defences. The Kremlin is trying to repel Ukraine’s surprise offensive that has claimed hundreds of miles of territory in Russia’s Kursk region.
The accusations about Iranian missiles could embolden Zelensky to further ramp up pressure on the US and other allies to allow Ukraine to use Western-supplied missiles to strike deep inside Russia and hit sites from which Moscow launches aerial attacks. President Joe Biden has allowed Ukraine to fire US-provided missiles across the border into Russia in self-defence, but largely limited the distance over concerns about further escalating the conflict.
That has not stopped Ukraine from using its own weapons to hit targets deeper in Russia, launching on Tuesday one of the biggest drone attacks on Russian soil in the 2 1/2-year war that targeted multiple regions, including Moscow.
