Iran has brokered ongoing secret talks between Russia and Yemen'sHouthi rebels to transfer anti-ship missiles to the militant group, three Western and regional sources said, a development that highlights Tehran'sdeepening ties to Moscow.Seven sources told Reuters that Russia has yet to decide to transfer the Yakhont missiles & also known as P-800 Oniks & which experts said would allow the militant group to more accurately strike commercial vessels in the Red Sea and increase the threat to the U.S.
and European warships defending them.The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Russia was considering sending the missiles.
Iran'srole as an intermediary has not been previously reported.The Houthis have launched repeated drone and missile strikes on ships in the crucial Red Sea shipping channels since November to show support for Palestinians in the Gaza war with Israel.They have sunk at least two vessels and seized another, disrupting global maritime trade by forcing shipping firms to divert cargos and, according to industry sources, driven up insurance costs for ships plying the Red Sea.In response, the United States and Britain have struck Houthi positions but have failed to stop the group'sattacks.Two regional officials aware of the talks said that the Houthis and Russians met in Tehran at least twice this year and that the talks to provide dozens of the missiles, which have a range of about 300 km, were ongoing with further Tehran meetings expected in coming weeks.Russia has previously supplied the Yakhont missile to Iran-backed Hezbollah.One of the sources said the talks started under Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May.&Russia is negotiating with the Houthis for the transfer of Yakhont supersonic anti-ship missiles,& said a Western intelligence source.
&The Iranians are brokering the talks but do not want to have their signature over it.&Neither Iran'sU.N.
mission nor the Russian Defense Ministry responded to requests for comment.&We have no knowledge of what you have mentioned,& said Mohamed Abdel-Salam, the official spokesman for Yemen'sHouthis.A senior U.S.
official declined to name the specific systems that could be transferred but confirmed that Russia has been discussing supplying missiles to the Houthis, calling the development &very worrisome.&A U.S.
Defense Department official said any efforts to bolster the Houthis& capabilities would &undermine the shared international interest in global freedom of navigation and stability in the Red Sea and broader Middle East.&Russia-Iran LinksRussia and Iran have been nurturing closer military ties amid Russia'swar in Ukraine.
Tehran has allegedly transferred ballistic missiles to Moscow for use against Ukraine, the United States said earlier this month.One motivation for Moscow to arm the Houthis, three sources said, is the possibility that Western states could decide to allow Ukraine to use their weapons to strike farther into Russian territory.The senior U.S.
official said the Russia-Houthi talks &seem to be related to our posture in Ukraine and what we&re willing or not willing to do& regarding Kyiv'srequests for the lifting of restrictions on its use of long-range U.S.-supplied weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia.Russian President Vladimir Putin warned in June that Moscow could send advanced long-range weapons & similar to those the United States and its allies give Ukraine & to the West'sadversaries around the world.The Yakhont is considered one of the world'smost advanced anti-ship missiles, designed to skim the sea'ssurface to avoid detection at more than twice the speed of sound, making it difficult to intercept.The post Iran brokering talks to send advanced Russian missiles to Yemen'sHouthis first appeared on Ariana News.