Russia had previously supplied the Iran-backed Hezbollah with the Yakhont missile.
Iran has mediated secret talks between Russia and rebels, three Western and regional sources said. Houthis In Yemen, to transfer anti-ship missiles to the militant group, a development that highlights the deepening ties between Tehran and Moscow.
The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Russia was considering sending the missiles, while Iran’s role as a mediator has not been previously reported.
The Houthis have launched repeated drone and missile attacks on ships in vital Red Sea shipping channels since November to show support for the Palestinians in the Gaza war with Israel.
They sank at least two ships and seized another, disrupting global maritime trade by forcing shipping companies to divert cargoes and, according to industry sources, driving up insurance costs for ships sailing in the Red Sea.
In response, the United States and Britain launched strikes on Houthi positions, but failed to stop the group’s attacks.
According to To ReutersSeven sources said Russia had not yet decided whether to transfer the Yakhont missiles — also known as the P-800 Onyx — which experts said would allow the militant group to more accurately hit commercial vessels in the Red Sea and increase the threat to U.S. and European warships defending them.
Two regional officials familiar with the talks said the Houthis and the Russians have met in Tehran at least twice this year and that talks over the supply of dozens of missiles with a range of about 300 kilometers (186 miles) are ongoing, with more meetings expected in Tehran in the coming weeks.
Russia has previously supplied the Yakhont missile to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
One of the sources said the talks began under the leadership of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May.
A Western intelligence source revealed that “Russia is negotiating with the Houthis over the transfer of supersonic Yakhont anti-ship missiles. The Iranians are mediating the talks but do not want to have a signature on them.”
The Yakhont missile is considered one of the most advanced anti-ship missiles in the world, and is designed to fly above the sea surface to avoid detection at a speed more than twice the speed of sound, making it difficult to intercept.
A senior US official declined to name the specific systems that could be transferred but confirmed that Russia had been discussing supplying the Houthis with missiles, describing the development as “very troubling.”
Any efforts to enhance the Houthis’ capabilities would “undermine the shared international interest in global freedom of navigation and stability in the Red Sea and the broader Middle East,” a US defense official said.
Closer ties between Russia and Iran
Military ties between Russia and Iran have strengthened amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. Earlier this month, the United States alleged that Tehran had transferred ballistic missiles to Moscow for use against Ukraine.
Three sources said one possible motive for Moscow to arm the Houthis was the possibility that Western countries would decide to allow Ukraine to use its weapons to strike further into Russian territory.
The senior US official said the talks between Russia and the Houthis “seem to be tied to our position in Ukraine and what we are willing or unwilling to do” regarding Kiev’s requests to lift restrictions on its use of long-range weapons provided by the United States 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 are providing to Ukraine — to the West’s enemies around the world.
“Radical change” for regional security
Fabian Hinz, a ballistic missile expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Russia’s transfer of Yakhont missiles to the Houthis would be a “game changer” for regional security.
“The P-800 is a much more capable system than the anti-ship ballistic missiles and cruise missiles that the Houthis have used to date,” Hinz added.
Not only could the Houthis fire them at U.S. and British warships and other vessels protecting commercial shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi drone and missile attacks, but they could be used as ground attack weapons that Saudi Arabia might view as a threat, Haines said.
Russia will need help with the technical aspects of delivering the missiles, including how to transport and operate them without the United States being able to detect and destroy the weapons, Hinz said. The Houthis will also need training on the system.
The senior US official warned of dire consequences if this transfer took place.
“We are alarmed, and other regional partners are alarmed,” the official said. “The Houthis are already causing enough damage in the Red Sea, and this should enable them to do more.”
