Russian Cargo Ship Transporting Iranian Ballistic Missiles Spotted At Caspian Sea Port

A cargo ship suspected of transporting Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia was recently spotted docked at a Russian port. The United States and its European allies have confirmed that Moscow has received short-range ballistic missiles from Iran.

According to Maxar Technologies’ satellite images, the ship, identified as the Russian-flagged Port Olya 3, was spotted in Port Olya in Astrakhan, a southern Russian port on the Caspian Sea, on September 4.

The ship was traced a few days earlier, on August 29, at the Iranian port of Amirabad. It has been reported that the ship then shut off its transponder to avoid detection.

On September 10, the U.S. Treasury Department stated that the Russian Ministry of Defense used Port Olya 3 to transport close-range ballistic missiles (CRBMs) from Iran to Russia.

The Department also stated that the first shipment of missiles arrived in Russia in early September, resulting in the imposition of sanctions on the vessel, various companies, and several Iranian individuals.

According to reports, approximately 220 short-range ballistic missiles were carried from Iran to Russia via the Caspian Sea and then transferred to a large cargo train.

The Fateh-360 missiles have a range of up to 75 miles and a payload capacity of 330 pounds. These missiles are designed to target Ukrainian military sites and infrastructure from a distance.

U.S. officials also stated that Russian military personnel had been trained in Iran to use these missiles. The missiles are expected to be used against Ukraine in the coming weeks.

Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, denied any missile deliveries to Russia. He accused the U.S. and its allies of relying on poor intelligence and added that the recent sanctions against Iran do not solve the problem.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian chargé d’affaires, alerting them of serious consequences for Ukrainian-Iranian relations. Additionally, the British Foreign Ministry summoned an Iranian representative in London, cautioning that any delivery of ballistic missiles to Russia would be considered a risky escalation.

Western countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, criticized the missile shipments as an escalation of Iran’s military support for Russia.

The British, French, and German governments stated that the action posed a direct threat to European security and exacerbated the Ukrainian people’s suffering.

The U.S. National Security Council expressed concern that Russia might use the newly acquired missiles against closer-range targets in Ukraine while keeping its missile weapons for longer-range targets. The White House also stated that Russia has exchanged space-related data and nuclear technologies with Iran, strengthening their military collaboration.

Reference: FirstPost, BusinessInsider

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Source: Maritime Shipping News