2024-09-17 00:22:35
After two years of negotiations, the Iranians sent Vladimir Putin ballistic missiles to be used against Ukraine. According to Forbes, the Russian president may eventually regret it.
The first shipment of two hundred Iranian Fath-360 missiles arrived in Russia via the Caspian Sea. | Video: Reuters
On Wednesday, September 4, the first shipment of two hundred Fath-360 missiles arrived in Russia via the Caspian Sea. According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, they represent a dramatic escalation of Russian aggression in Ukraine. “This act represents a direct threat to European security,” France, Germany and Britain said.
Forbes says there is a good chance the Fath-360 deal will backfire on Russia. It could be the last straw for Western allies, who have so far prevented the Ukrainians from firing the best American and European munitions at targets inside Russia.
The Fath-360 is a short-range, satellite-guided tactical ballistic missile. With a range of up to 120 km, it can carry a warhead weighing 150 kg. Ukrainian columnist Alexander Kovalenko predicts that Russia will use the missiles to terrorize the border areas, especially the Sumy and Kharkiv regions. They will not have a critical impact on the Ukrainian rear or combat areas.
The Fath-360 is not a miracle weapon, but the fact that the Russians colluded with the Iranians may turn against them, according to Forbes. “These developments and the growing cooperation between Russia and Iran threaten European security and show how Iran’s destabilizing influence extends far beyond the borders of the Middle East,” said Blinken, who said Washington had warned Iran against the supplies.
The Russian-Iranian alliance could be what finally convinces Washington and London to allow Ukraine to use US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles against targets deep in Russia.
“Just as what Russia is doing is changing, the situation on the battlefield is changing and we are adapting,” said Blinken, who promised to be receptive to the Ukrainians’ arguments. “We will listen carefully,” added the US Secretary of State.
On Friday, President Joe Biden met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. But Biden and his team have indicated that they want to wait. First, they want to see the so-called victory plan of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In Biden’s team, there is a major rift over the use of Western weapons on Russian soil between Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. “The problem is Sullivan, not Blinken,” The Sunday Times quoted a British Ministry of Defense source as saying.
A senior source in Britain’s Conservative Party told the paper that a US adviser had been skeptical of Kiev’s ability to win the war since the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“It will come as a shock to many.” A dirty deal will end the war in Ukraine, says the economist. (Full article with video here)
Zakharova: We will not deal with the junta of bandits who are committing atrocities in the Kursk region. | Video: Reuters