- Russia has received short-range ballistic missiles from Iran, NATO countries confirmed on Tuesday.
- The US said Russia used a vessel called the Port Olya-3 to transport the missiles.
A cargo ship suspected of transporting ballistic missiles from Iran was seen at a port in Russia last week, according to newly released satellite imagery.
The US and its European allies confirmed Tuesday that Russia has received short-range ballistic missiles from Iran and is likely to use them to attack Ukraine within the coming weeks, calling the development a major escalation in the war.
Moscow received its first shipments of missiles in early September and used a Russian-flagged vessel called the Port Olya-3 to transport the weapons from Iran, the US Treasury Department said.
Satellite imagery recently captured by Maxar Technologies and obtained by Business Insider shows what has been identified as Olya-3 at Port Olya on September 4. The port is located along the Caspian Sea in southwestern Russia's Astrakhan region.
Several days earlier, in late August, Olya-3 was docked at the Iranian port of Amirabad, in the opposite corner of the Caspian Sea, publicly available ship tracking data shows.
Sky News first reported the newly available satellite imagery on Wednesday.
Olya-3 regularly transits the Caspian Sea to move cargo between Iran and Russia, according to the Treasury Department, which announced sanctions on the vessel as part of widespread measures targeting Tehran and its assets in response to the missile transfers.
US officials said dozens of Russian military personnel trained in Iran to use the Fath-360 missiles that Tehran has now delivered to Moscow. These short-range ballistic missiles have satellite guidance and a maximum range of around 75 miles.
The missiles can be equipped with a 330-pound warhead, posing a deadly threat to Ukrainian military positions and civilian infrastructure.
It's unclear exactly how many missiles Russia received, although the Treasury Department said Moscow and Tehran signed an agreement in late 2023 for the supply of hundreds of missiles.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said that Russia could use the new Iranian missiles on closer-range targets in Ukraine while saving its own ballistic missiles to strike deeper.
The Biden administration has long warned of deepening military ties between Russia and Iran. Kirby said Tuesday that Moscow has shared space-related information and much-sought-after nuclear technology with Tehran.
The British, French, and German governments called the delivery an "escalation by both Iran and Russia" and "a direct threat to European security."
"This is a further escalation of Iran's military support to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and will see Iranian missiles reaching European soil, increasing the suffering of the Ukrainian people," the countries said in a joint statement.
The delivery of Fath-360 missiles marks the latest weapons transfer from abroad to Russia as it continues to depend on other pariah states like Iran and North Korea for military assistance to help sustain its war machine in Ukraine.
Iran has also supplied Russia with one-way attack drones, while North Korea has given Moscow ballistic missiles and artillery. Western countries, including the US, have condemned these transactions as destabilizing and escalatory.
Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday that it's likely the recent transfer of missiles between Iran and Russia won't be a "one-time good deal," noting that Moscow could seek additional munitions in the future.