It is not a concern if Russia gives Iran British anti-tank missiles meant for Ukraine that they have captured as they don’t contain cutting edge technology, the defence secretary has said.
At the same time, Britain and other NATO allies were enjoying an “amazing opportunity” to learn about President Vladimir Putin‘s military capabilities from Russian weapons captured by the Ukrainians, Ben Wallace told Sky News.
He said the UK was looking into a Sky News report this week that Moscow had flown British and US anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles to Tehran along with 140m euros (£122m) in August, which they intend to exchange for dozens of deadly drones set to be used against Ukraine.
Ukraine live updates: Putin ‘basically stuck’ and running out of options
The NLAW, Javelin and Stinger munitions had been intended for the Ukrainian military but had fallen into Russian hands, according to a security source.
“Of course, we don’t want to see these things happening,” Mr Wallace said. “But fundamentally, that is the risk we took when we decided it was important to help Ukraine.”
It also worked both ways, with the UK and other NATO allies able to learn from Russian weapons captured by the Ukrainians.
Russia flew €140m in cash and captured Western weapons to Iran in return for deadly drones, source claims
Iran tests new satellite-carrying rocket in move US calls ‘unhelpful and destabilising’
Iran protests: Revolutionary Guards chief warns ‘today is the last day of demonstrations’ after ‘two more killed’ in Zahedan
“Russia has lost significant numbers of its A-grade capabilities – they’ve been captured in the hundreds and thousands,” Mr Wallace said.
“That is an amazing opportunity for NATO countries to understand the technologies that go on in Russian equipment and that will give us a very strategic advantage in the future.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
As for the NLAW anti-tank missiles that the UK has given to Ukraine, they are hugely effective pieces of kit, but they are not fitted with next generation technology, which the UK is currently working on, the defence secretary said.
“That will mean there’ll be differences in it between what the Iranians – if they do have NLAWs – develop and what we have and that goes the same for the US Javelins… So, I’m not particularly worried. But of course, it was a risk we took as a calculation.”
Read more on the war in Ukraine:
Eyewitness: Ukraine troops on a roll and have the city of Kherson in their sights
More than 100,000 soldiers ‘killed or wounded’ on both sides of war
He added: “Iran has a track record of reverse engineering. It’s always been very cunning at taking technologies from abroad and trying to turn it into its own capabilities.
“And indeed, the Ukrainian captured Iranian drones that we’ve seen on the TV that shows a significant number of western components within.”
