Britain and the United States have raised serious concerns over Russia’s potential exchange of nuclear technology with Iran, in return for Tehran providing Moscow with ballistic missiles to support its ongoing war in Ukraine. During a summit in Washington on Friday, UK opposition leader Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden addressed the intensifying military collaboration between Russia and Iran, as Tehran moves closer to enriching uranium capable of creating a nuclear bomb.
British officials disclosed that concerns about a possible nuclear trade between Russia and Iran were brought up, suggesting the deepening alliance between the two countries. Earlier last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a London summit, highlighted Russia’s willingness to share nuclear technology and space information with Iran, calling it a two-way exchange with global destabilizing consequences.
Western fears have intensified as Iran continues to amass enriched uranium, surpassing agreed international limits and drawing sharp warnings from Britain, France, and Germany. These countries emphasized that Iran’s growing stockpile of enriched uranium, which could be weaponized, has no credible civilian purpose.
Adding to the tension, Iran has provided Russia with Shahed drones since the Ukraine war’s onset and has assisted Moscow in setting up a factory to manufacture more drones. More alarmingly, last week, US intelligence confirmed that Iran had delivered its first batch of Fath-360 ballistic missiles to Russia, capable of striking Ukrainian cities.
The evolving alliance between Russia and Iran is seen as part of a broader anti-Western axis, also including China and North Korea, which has drawn comparisons to Cold War-era state competition. Both Biden and Starmer discussed the implications of this growing partnership, along with strategies to support Ukraine and counter these rising global threats.