Exclusive-Iran has withheld ballistic missiles sent to Russia, sources say By Reuters

By Jonathan Landay, Phil Stewart and Anthony Deutsch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Iran has not installed ballistic missiles near Washington that it accused Tehran of taking to Russia for use against Ukraine, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter.

The sources – a European ambassador, a European intelligence official and a US official – said it was unclear why Iran was not supplying the Fath-360 missiles, raising questions about when and if the weapons would be operational.

The US official, like other sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Iran had not yet delivered the explosives when the US announced the delivery of weapons to Iran. A European intelligence official said without elaborating that they did not expect Iran to supply the launchers.

Reuters first reported on Iran's plan to send these missiles to Russia.

Two experts told Reuters there could be several reasons why the launchers were not deployed. Another is that Russia may be planning to develop trucks to carry missiles, as Iran has done. Another is that by holding back the initiators, Iran allows space for new negotiations with Western powers to reduce tensions.

The Russian Defense Ministry declined to comment.

The US National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment and the Pentagon declined to comment.

Iran's delegation to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tehran denies supplying Moscow with missiles or thousands of drones that Kyiv and Western officials have said Russia uses against military targets and to destroy civilian infrastructure, including Ukraine's electricity grid.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on September 10 that Iran had delivered Fath-360s to Russia and “will probably use them in a few weeks in Ukraine.”

The missile will pose an additional challenge to Ukraine, which is constantly adapting its air defenses to new developments by Russian forces. Iran's semi-official Fars news agency says the missile travels at four times the speed of sound as it nears its target.

Blinken said the missiles threaten European security and will be fired at relatively short-range targets, which will allow Russia to keep most of its weapons targets beyond the front lines. The Fath-360 has a range of up to 75 miles (121 km).

The United States, Germany, Britain and France have imposed new sanctions on Iran, while the EU said the bloc is considering new measures against Iran's aviation sector.

The Kremlin at the time refused to confirm that it had received the missiles but acknowledged that its cooperation with Iran included “very sensitive areas.”

Blinken did not say how many Fath-360s Iran has provided to Russia or when they were delivered.

Reuters determined from transit data that a Russian vessel authorized by Washington, Port Olya-3, made trips between Iran's Caspian Sea port of Amirabad and Russia's port of Olya several times between May and September 12.

Fabian Hinz, an Iran missile expert with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said he could not confirm that Tehran had withheld explosives.

Ballistic missiles require specially designed launchers to be fired.

According to Hinz, one of the reasons why Iran is not sending the launchers could be that the conventional trucks that Iran is preparing to launch these and other missiles are not strong enough to operate in the harsh terrain during the harsh winters in Ukraine. Iran is modifying trucks made by Mercedes and other companies and turning them into highly concealable missile launchers, he said.

That suggests, he continued, that Russia could replace its military-grade vehicles.

“A Mercedes truck that's off the shelf can't just be off the road,” he said

David Albright, a former UN nuclear inspector who heads the Institute for Science and International Security, also could not say whether Iran brought the explosives.

But he noted that Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and other Iranian officials will meet with European officials on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week in New York to test the power of negotiating Tehran's nuclear program, regional tensions and other conflicts.

“It is possible that they (Iran) are delaying the initiators to give less space for these negotiations,” he said. “One would think that if there are Iranian missiles raining (in Ukraine) there will be condemnation in the General Assembly.”

But he was skeptical of any progress, saying he doubted Iran would make the necessary concessions.