US threatens ‘swift and severe’ response if Iran sends ballistic missiles to Russia

The State Department warned that there would be a “swift and severe” response if Iran were to send ballistic missiles to Russia, following reports that the country plans to send hundreds of the satellite-guided weapons to Moscow soon.

Reuters reported Friday that Iran is planning to ship ballistic missiles to Russia “soon,” citing multiple European intelligence sources, adding that Iran is already training Russian forces on how to use the Fath-360 close-range ballistic missile system.

Responding to that report, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said Monday that the U.S. would quickly respond to any such transfer.

“We’ve been warning of the deepening security partnership between Russia and Iran since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this partnership threatens European security and illustrates how Iran’s destabilizing influence reaches beyond the Middle East and around the world,” he said.

“As our partners have made clear … we are prepared to deliver together a swift and severe response if Iran were to move forward of the transfer of ballistic missiles, which would in our view represent a dramatic escalation in Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” he continued.

Iran has supported the Russian military in Ukraine with attack drones, which were used to attack Kyiv in late 2022.

Iran also launched a mass drone assault on Israel in April, sending about 170 drones and 120 ballistic missiles toward the country. Nearly all were intercepted or shot down by a coalition of Israeli, U.S. and Jordanian forces.