Kyiv: The burgeoning alliance between Iran and Russia, which has already seen Tehran assist Moscow in its war against Ukraine, is increasingly troubling the West as tensions reach new highs in the Middle East.
The Islamic Republic and Russia have in the last months put aside centuries of regional rivalry going back to the imperial era to focus on a shared confrontation with the West.
In a new symbol of their relationship, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is due to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Friday in Turkmenistan for their first face-to-face meeting and is also due to visit Russia later in the month.
The West accuses Iran of supplying Russia with lethal drones and now ballistic missiles, cheap and readily available weapons that are playing a crucial role in supplying the Russian war machine in the invasion of Ukraine.
But with Iran and Israel now risking a descent into a spiral of retaliatory strikes, the alliance could yet grow even tighter as both Tehran and Moscow seek a way out of international isolation.
“The transfer of ballistic missiles points to a deepening defence partnership that extends beyond drones and now includes more advanced weaponry,” Nicole Grajewski, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told media.
Western countries have accused Iran of delivering Fath-360 ballistic missiles to Russia which are believed to have a range of about 120 kilometres (75 miles) and that the US fears would allow Russians to reserve more advanced missiles with longer ranges for other uses. A senior Western official, asking not to be named, said “we just don’t know at this point” if the Middle East tensions will further ramp up the dynamics of Iranian deliveries. –Agencies
