Russian ship suspected of delivering Iranian ballistic missiles seen at Caspian Sea port

A Russian cargo ship suspected of carrying Iranian ballistic missiles for Moscow’s war against Ukraine was seen at a Russian port on the Caspian Sea a week ago, satellite imagery shared with CNN shows.

The vessel – the Port Olya 3 – was identified by Maxar Technologies in satellite imagery taken on September 4 at Port Olya in Astrakhan. The ship had previously been in the Iranian port of Amirabad on August 29, according to ship tracking data. It turned off its transponder at some point after.

The US Treasury department assessed Tuesday that the Russian Ministry of Defense had “used the vessel Port Olya-3 to transport CRBMs from Iran to Russia.”

“As of early September 2024, Russia received the first shipment of CBRMs (close-range ballistic missiles) from Iran,” the Treasury said, as it announced sanctions on the Port Olya 3 along with other vessels and several Iranian individuals.

CNN reported last weekend that Iran had recently transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to use in the war against Ukraine, a significant escalation in Iran’s support for Russia.

The military relationship between Iran and Russia has grown closer since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Iran has supplied thousands of “Shahed” attack drones to Russia, and according to US officials, built a drone factory in Russia.

The satellite imagery surfaced the day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in London on Tuesday that the US believed the Russian military had received shipments of Iranian Fatah-360 ballistic missiles and “will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine against Ukrainians.”

The Fateh-360 has a range of up to 75 miles (120 kilometers) and can carry a payload of 330 pounds (150 kilograms). While the payload is less than that of many Russian aerial bombs, it would be useful in targeting Ukrainian frontline positions from a considerable distance, and as a ballistic missile would be much harder to intercept.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has assessed that “Russian forces will likely use the Iranian-supplied missiles to target Ukrainian energy, military, and civilian infrastructure in the coming months.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi denied that the Islamic Republic had supplied ballistic missiles to Russia, posting on X: “Once again, US and E3 (UK, France and Germany) act on faulty intelligence and flawed logic, Iran has NOT delivered ballistic missiles to Russia. Period.”

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires, Shahriar Amouzegar, this week following the reports of ballistic missiles being sent to Russia. Amouzegar was warned of “devastating and irreparable consequences” for Ukrainian-Iranian relations if the reports were true.

Ukrainian officials contacted Wednesday by CNN declined further comment.

The ISW – a Washington-based think-tank – noted that Iran has previously transferred weapons from the ports of Amirabad and Anzali on the Caspian Sea to Astrakhan. The Port Olya 3 has itself made a dozen recorded visits to the two Iranian ports this year. By September 6, it had left the Russian port for another voyage.

Blinken noted Tuesday that Washington had “warned Iran privately that taking this step would constitute a dramatic escalation.”

He said that dozens of Russian military personnel had been trained in Iran to use the Fateh-360, the supply of which “enables Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets that are further from the front line, while dedicating the new missiles it’s receiving from Iran for closer range targets.”

CNN has previously been told by US officials that Russian negotiations to acquire the close-range ballistic missiles from Iran began as early as last September, when then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu traveled to Iran to view the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Ababil close-range ballistic missile systems.

“For its part, Russia is sharing technology that Iran seeks. This is a two-way street, including on nuclear issues, as well as some space information,” Blinken added Tuesday.

What is as yet unclear is whether Iran’s delivery of ballistic missiles that can be fired from within Russia against targets in Ukraine will persuade the United States and European allies to relax the restrictions on the Ukrainians’ use of their missiles on more targets in Russia.

US-made HIMARS missiles have been occasionally used by Ukraine against targets some 60 to 80 kilometers inside Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has frequently appealed to Kyiv’s allies for greater latitude in using Western missiles against targets inside Russia.

The topic is likely to come up at the meeting in Washington on Friday between US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Victoria Butenko, Natasha Bertrand and Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.