Iran is preparing to deliver in the near future launchers for short-range ballistic missiles that the U.S. said Tehran sent to Russia last year for use against Ukraine, according to two Western security officials and a regional official.

The delivery of the Fath-360 launchers — if it occurs — would help support Russia's grinding assault on its neighbor and reaffirm the deepening security ties between Moscow and Tehran.

With a 120-kilometer range, the Fath-360 would give Moscow's forces a new weapon to fire at Ukrainian front-line troops, nearby military targets, and population centers close to the border with Russia, analysts said.