White House "Monitoring" Potential Iran-Russia Ballistic Missile Deal

Wires carrying comments from White House National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, warning of increased military cooperation between Iran and Russia.

• Kirby: "Iran has been providing Russia a significant amount of UAVs," referring to unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, and warns that, "Iran may be considering providing Russia ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine."
• Kirby says, "the US is going to monitor Iran-Russia situation, will take appropriate action as needed."
• Kirby also suggests that Russia could escalate the Israel-Hamas conflict by equipping Iranian proxy militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon where the threat of regional conflagration is highest: "Wagner Group may be preparing to provide military equipment to Hezbollah or Iran."
• Kirby states that Iran is also complicit in actions of another Tehran-affiliated military group, the Houthis in Yemen, who yesterday took control of a Japanese operated commercial ship: "Houthi seizure of ship in Red Sea is flagrant violation of international law, Iran is complicit," and says the, "Houthis must unconditionally release ship and crew in Red Sea."
• A short time ago White House NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson released a statement on today's North Korean rocket launch which is believed to have been carried a spy satellite and is widely suspected to have been facilitated by Russia technological assistance.
• Watson: "The United States strongly condemns the DPRK for its launch of a space launch vehicle (SLV) using ballistic missile technology, which is a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, raises tensions, and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region and beyond."