Middle Eastern Nations Keep supplying weapons to both Russia and Ukraine
The United States is set to let Turkey transfer M270 launchers and ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, while Iran has upgraded its Shahed loitering drones for use by Russia.
In a new U.S. proposal, Turkey would receive permission to re-transfer a batch of American-made M270 MLRS launchers, 70 ATACMS ballistic missiles and large quantities of DPICM cluster rockets to Ukraine, a package valued at $256 million. Human Rights Watch has condemned the inclusion of cluster munitions as indiscriminate and urged Congress to block the deal. Meanwhile, Iran has altered its Shahed-107 loitering munition, adding extra fragmentation to boost its effectiveness against personnel and soft targets, and continues to supply Russia with Shahed-136 and 131 drones and possibly Fath-360 short-range missiles. These developments underscore the ongoing role of Turkey and Iran in providing arms to both combatants since the February 2022 invasion, despite broader regional shifts and calls for more support to Kyiv.
Why it matters
The transfers show how Middle Eastern arms dealers are still fueling the Russia-Ukraine war on both sides.
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