Invasion of Ukraine: Russia has received weapons and military hardware originating in Iraq, with the help of arms smuggling networks from Iran, the British Guardian newspaper reported today (Tuesday), quoting members of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias, as well as regional intelligence services involved.
Russia reportedly received RPG and anti-tank missiles, as well as missile launch systems shipped from Iraq at the height of the war on Ukrainian soil. According to a source who helped organize the transport.
This is a fundamental change in Russia’s strategy, as Russia is forced to rely on Iran and its other ally, Syria, in the face of global-scale sanctions imposed on it since the February 24 invasion. The move is expected to have further significant implications for the volume of international arms trade.
A source in the Iranian-backed Iranian force told the Guardian that “as long as it is against the United States, we are happy with it.” He added that “the Russians now need missiles and this requires transport skills as the weapons are fragile and explosive, but we are committed to that.”
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Iraq has hosted at its bases, since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003, American troops and forces from other Western countries, so the United States has actually trained and provided ammunition to Iraqi forces to help the government defend itself against insurgencies.
Most of the weapons have been legally handed over to Shiite militias in Iran, who oppose the presence of American forces in the region, but since 2016, these have officially joined the armed forces in Iraq, as part of the fight in the Islamic State.