Iran is mediating talks between Russia and Houthi rebels in Yemen to supply the terror group with Russian-made anti-ship missiles, Reuters reported. Seven sources said Russia has yet to decide on the transfer of the Yakhont missiles, also known as P-800 Oniks, which experts say would allow the militant group to more accurately target commercial ships in the Red Sea and increase the threat to U.S. and European warships defending them, Reuters noted. Moscow and Houthi officials have met at least twice this year in Tehran to discuss the potential arms transfer, which could involve dozens of missiles with a range of about 186 miles, and more meetings are expected in Tehran in the coming weeks.
The Reuters report came on the same day that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the United Nations General Assembly, where he said Tehran opposes aggression in the region. “We seek peace for all and have no intention of entering into conflict with any country. Iran opposes war and stresses the need for an immediate cessation of the military conflict in Ukraine,” Pezeshkian said. “Iran’s willingness to act as a bridge between the Houthis and Russia is concrete evidence that Tehran is running a transnational terrorist express,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), said. “If the Houthis were able to deploy Russian supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles alongside the drones and anti-ship ballistic missiles they are already launching, it would pose a maritime threat to Red Sea traffic.”
Military cooperation between Russia and Iran is growing stronger
Russia’s possible delivery of anti-ship missiles to the Houthi rebels comes amid growing cooperation between Moscow and Tehran. It also demonstrates Iran’s continued commitment to destabilizing the Middle East, in collaboration with other countries outside the region. Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Iran has supplied thousands of drones to Moscow, seeking advanced military technology in return. Russia and Iran are also exchanging intelligence and hindering US forces in Syria, as part of a joint plan to push the US out of the region. In April 2024, Sergei Shoigu, then Russia’s defense minister, met with his Iranian counterpart, Gharaei Ashtiani, at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kazakhstan to discuss strengthening security ties. Shoigu noted a significant increase in military contacts between Tehran and Moscow.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on September 10 that Iran has begun supplying Fath-360 short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine. At a press conference with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Blinken said: “Russia has received these weapons and will likely use them in the coming weeks in Ukraine against Ukrainian forces,” adding that the missiles, which have a maximum range of 75 miles, “will allow Russia to broaden the deployment of its arsenal to targets further away from the front, reserving the new Iranian missiles for closer range.” Houthi forces have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and targets in Israel. On September 15, a missile fired by Yemeni terrorists into central Israel set off sirens in several areas, scattering debris across the central region and starting a fire. The Israeli military later confirmed that its air defense systems intercepted the missile, which fragmented without being completely destroyed. After this attack, the Houthis threatened further action against Israel, which will soon have its response to the Yemeni terrorists. Finally, this morning the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied the rumors of a possible ceasefire agreement between Israel and the terrorist group Hezbollah. “The reports of a ceasefire are false. This is a Franco-American proposal to which the Prime Minister has not even responded. The reports of an order to reduce fighting in the north are the exact opposite of reality. The Prime Minister has instructed the IDF to continue military operations with full intensity, following the plans that were submitted to him. Furthermore, operations in Gaza will continue until all the objectives of the war are achieved.”
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