Iran may transfer ballistic missiles and launchers to Russia
Iran is unlikely to dare to launch ballistic missiles at Ukraine directly from its own territory, but it may transfer such weapons to Russia. This would allow Russia to increase the number of simultaneous missile strikes and place an additional burden on Ukraine’s air defense forces.
Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi, director of development at a defense enterprise and a reserve Air Force officer, made this statement in an interview with Ukrinform.
According to him, Iran possesses missiles capable of reaching Ukrainian territory and even certain European countries. This is precisely why European nations deployed missile defense systems in the past.
“Iran actually has weapons capable of reaching Ukrainian territory. Moreover, Iran has some weapons that can reach Europe as well,” Khrapchynskyi noted.
The expert believes that Iran’s direct use of missiles against Ukraine would pose serious political risks for Tehran. Transferring such weapons to Russia, however, could allow Iran to avoid direct responsibility.
“In my view, Iran will not use such weapons from its own territory. It is much easier for it to transfer these capabilities to the Russian Federation,” he explained.
Khrapchynsky also pointed out the potential challenges Russia faces in producing its own ballistic missiles following strikes on facilities within the Russian defense-industrial complex. According to him, Moscow may seek additional sources of weapons supplies, as has already happened with North Korea.
At the same time, the expert identifies the main threat not only in the acquisition of the Iranian missiles themselves, but also in the possible transfer of launchers.
“Iran could help transfer missiles to Russia, as well as launchers. The key issue here is that, when we talk about Iranian missiles, it’s not about the ability to use a larger number of missiles, but rather the ability to use a larger number of launchers,” he emphasized.
According to Khrapchynsky’s assessment, Russia is currently capable of deploying approximately 25 ballistic missiles simultaneously. If Russia receives additional launchers from Iran, Iranian systems—along with the North Korean systems it already possesses—could be added to this capacity.
“This increases the number of air attack capabilities deployed simultaneously, which will strain and complicate the response of our air defense system,” the officer noted.
He also emphasized that Ukraine needs modern air defense systems to protect against ballistic strikes, specifically the Patriot system equipped with PAC-3 MSE missiles.
Source: Ukrinform.
As a reminder, U.S. President Donald Trump instructed American negotiators to demand compensation from Iran for the dead and wounded—whom he links to Tehran’s actions—during any future negotiations between the countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he would demand compensation from Iran as part of future negotiations on ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. According to Euronews, the talks have reached an impasse, and the new U.S. demands could complicate the prospects for a swift agreement.
Trump has stated his willingness to rely on economic pressure against Iran.
