Now that sanctions have expired, Iran is taking advantage and helping Russia, another U.S. adversary. Reuters reported Wednesday that “Iran is sending powerful missiles to Russia after the Biden administration and members of the United Nations (U.N.) allowed preventative sanctions to expire.”
Specifically, Iran sent hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia; in turn, Iran will receive fighter jets and helicopters from Moscow, “representing deepened military ties between the two countries in recent years,” according to Reuters. Not only have weapons been sent, but, “there will be more shipments,” an anonymous Iranian official told Reuters. “There is no reason to hide it. We are allowed to export weapons to any country that we wish to.”
The Daily Caller News Foundation reports: The U.S. and European partners declined to prevent the expiration of U.N. sanctions in late 2023 that curbed Iran’s ability to transfer missiles.
“It was always a matter of when – not if – Iran would transfer ballistic missiles to Russia,” Foundation for Defense of Democracies Senior Fellow Behnam Ben Taleblu said in a statement on Wednesday. “Make no mistake, the country with the largest ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East is now furnishing the Russian Federation with its most lethal weapons.”
“For a risk-tolerant Islamic Republic, the partnership with Russia continues to bear fruit,” Taleblu said. The shipments come after the expiration of U.N. Security Council sanctions that previously prevented Iran from testing or transferring ballistic missile technology, according to FDD. The sanctions expired in October 2023, even though the Biden administration and European partners had the ability to prevent them from expiring.
The Daily Caller News Foundation adds that Russia received 400 surface-to-surface ballistic missiles from Iran, many of which come from the Fateh-110 family and have a range of between roughly 186 and 435 miles; Iran is set to receive Su-35 fighter jets, Mi-28 attack helicopters and Yak-130 pilot training aircraft from Russia, according to Reuters. Iran has also provided Russia with thousands of Shahed attack drones, although it initially denied that it was doing so.
The relationship between Iran and Russia has grown steadily since the latter country first invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Tehran believes that Moscow can help it evade U.S. sanctions and bolster its presence on the world stage.