INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Iran has brokered ongoing secret talks between Russia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels to transfer anti-ship missiles to the militant group,
three Western and regional sources said, a development that highlights Tehran’s deepening 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’s role 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’s attacks.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’s U.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’s Houthis.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’s war 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’s requests 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’s adversaries around the world.The Yakhont is considered one of the world’s most
advanced anti-ship missiles, designed to skim the sea’s surface 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’s Houthis first appeared on Ariana News.
