LONDON (AP) — The United States and Britain formally accused Iran on Tuesday of supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to use against Ukraine, announcing new sanctions on Moscow and Tehran before a joint visit to Kyiv by their top diplomats.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking alongside British Foreign Secretary David Lammy during a visit to London, said Iran had ignored warnings that the transfer of such weapons would be a profound escalation of the conflict.

He told reporters that dozens of Russian military personnel had been trained in Iran to use the Fath-360 close-range ballistic missile system, which has a maximum range of 75 miles (120 kilometers).

“Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine, against Ukrainians,” Blinken said. “The supply of Iranian missiles enables Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets that are further from the front line.”

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AP AUDIO: The US and Britain accuse Iran of sending Russia missiles to use against Ukraine

In a news conference, Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Iran has defied U.S. warnings not to send short-range ballistic missiles to Moscow.

At the Pentagon, the press secretary said these were unlikely to be the only shipments. “One has to assume that if Iran is providing Russia with these types of missiles, that it’s very likely it would not be a one-time deal, that this would be a source of capability that Russia would seek to tap in the future,” said Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.

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