Iran delivers hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia as Ukrainian defense falters
Fox News
Iran has reportedly delivered hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia since January, bolstering their forces as defenders in Ukraine falter.
Most of the 400 missiles Iran has delivered are from the Fateh-110 family of short-range ballistic armaments. Fateh-110s are easily transportable by road and can strike targets up to 435 miles away.
Russian and Iranian officials came to an agreement on the missile deal in December, and shipments began in early January, according to six sources who spoke with Reuters.
Russia has so far received at least four of the shipments, and more are expected to be delivered in the coming weeks.
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“There will be more shipments,” one Iranian official told Reuters. “There is no reason to hide it. We are allowed to export weapons to any country that we wish to.”
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is seeing newfound success as resources dwindle for some Ukrainian defenders.
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Russia announced this weekend that it had captured the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka after Ukrainian forces, low on ammo and personnel, retreated. It was the first significant gain by Russia in months.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is facing growing pressure from both sides of the aisle to deliver some kind of plan for Ukraine as the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion approaches on Feb. 24.
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A growing contingent of populist Republican lawmakers have voiced opposition to U.S. involvement in the conflict. Some have gone as far as threatening Johnson’s leadership role if he held a vote on Ukraine aid.
Nevertheless, mainstream Republicans and Democrats still argue that it is in the country’s best interest to help Kyiv remain independent from Putin and that helping defeat the authoritarian leader is critical to avoiding a wider war.
“Ukrainians are literally running out of ammo and fleeing cities while Putin kills off his main rival in the gulag. Now is not a good time to give the Russians a hand,” a Senate GOP aide told Fox News Digital, referencing the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Reuters contributed to this report.