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(Bloomberg) — Iran would signal a “dramatic escalation” of support for Russia by providing ballistic missiles to aid its war in Ukraine, Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns said.
Burns and his UK counterpart, Richard Moore, warned during a joint appearance in London that military cooperation between the two countries is deepening.
Bloomberg reported Friday that Iran sent ballistic missiles to Russia, defying months of warnings by US and European officials. At a Financial Times event in London on Saturday, Burns declined to confirm that the transfer had taken place.
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“Should Iran ship ballistic missiles of any kinds, close-range or other kinds, it would be a dramatic escalation of that defense partnership,” he said.
If they were used on the battlefield in Ukraine, “it will become very obvious,” said Moore, head of the UK’s MI6 foreign intelligence service. “This stuff lands, it explodes, it kills civilians, it destroys their energy infrastructure.”
“This is what Iran is choosing to do, it’s choosing to help Russia do these types of things,” Moore said.
Burns said the defense relationship between Moscow and Tehran is a “two-way street.”
“Russia has the ability to do a number of things that help perfect Iran’s ballistic missiles that make them more dangerous for use against our friends and partners across the Middle East,” he said.
Burns said US President Joe Biden’s administration would continue to send weapons to Ukraine, but added that the risk of escalation with Russia shouldn’t be taken lightly.
He said there was a moment in the fall of 2022 when “there was a genuine risk of the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons,” but that the US and its allies shouldn’t be intimidated by what he called Moscow’s saber-rattling.
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Burns said he visited his Russian counterpart, Sergey Naryshkin, at the end of 2022 to “make very clear” the consequences of that kind of escalation.
Burns and Moore both criticized what they said was a campaign of sabotage by Russia’s intelligence services in Western countries, paying local criminals to carry out acts of arson and criminal damage in Europe.
“The fact they’re relying on criminal elements shows they’re a bit desperate,” Moore said. “I think Russian intelligence services have gone a bit feral, frankly.”
The two intelligence chiefs also expressed hope for a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Burns reaffirmed US plans for a proposal to end to hostilities in Gaza and the return of Israel hostages.
Resolving the conflict could lead to normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which “would be the ultimate counter to Iranian ambitions,” he said.
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