At the same time as the statement by the US, the UK and the EU about Iran's intention to equip Russia with ballistic missiles produced in Iran's military industries, CNN reported on the interception of a Russian cargo ship suspected of transporting Iranian missiles in satellite images.
This cargo ship left a port in Iran on the Caspian Sea for Russia last week.
According to CNN, the satellite images published by the technology company "Maxar" indicate that the ship "Port Olya 3", which left Amirabad on the coast of the Caspian Sea of Iran last week, was detected in the port of Astrakhan and turned off its transmitter. This ship is suspected of carrying ballistic missiles received from Iran.
An hour after the US Secretary of State's statement during his trip to London on Tuesday this week regarding Iran's intention to equip Russia with ballistic missiles, the US Treasury Department seized four ships belonging to Jamaludin Amirmagomedovich (Amirmohamedovitch) Pashaev, the owner of a chain of Russian shipping companies who were accused along with 20 people and institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in helping to transfer "lethal aid from Iran to Russia".
The ship "Port Olya 3" is one of the four ships owned by Amirmagomedovich Pashaev, which was sanctioned by the United States on Tuesday.
The US Treasury announced that the ship "Port Olea 3" picked up the first shipment of Iranian ballistic missiles for transfer to Russia at the beginning of September this year.
Until some time ago, the Islamic Republic of Iran was officially accused of supplying Russia with attack drones, including the "Shahad 136" model, which it used to attack civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, apart from on the battlefield. Tehran is also accused of training Russian forces in Iran and Russia to use drones and helped build a factory for drone parts in Russia.
Russia needs weapons to continue its war in Ukraine, in the face of equipping Ukraine with advanced western weapons. It was estimated that the recent visits of the Russian president to several countries, including North Korea, were aimed at this goal.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Tuesday in London that the US had warned Iran "directly" that such an action would increase tensions.
Mr Blinken and his British counterpart, David Lemmy, also traveled to Kiev on Wednesday to discuss more humanitarian and military aid for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the "Guardian", the joint visit of the foreign ministers of the United States and Great Britain strengthened the possibility that these two countries will soon allow Ukraine to use the weapons received from them to attack deep into Russian territory, in addition to defending Ukrainian territory.
The head of Ukraine's presidential office said this week that his country should be able to hit Russia's missile bases, and by that he meant to hit missile depots that Russia is buying from Iran.
This week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine summoned Shahriar Amuzgar, the head of Iran in Kiev, to warn him that supplying missiles to Russia would have "devastating and irreversible consequences" on relations between the two countries.