Iraqi proxies received the missiles last week, according to the report, which contradicts earlier claims that the militias were willing to disarm after US placed pressure on the government in Baghdad.

Iran has sent long-range missiles to its proxies in Iraq for the first time, constituting a major escalation against the US and Israel, according to the British paper The Times.

This comes as US President Donald Trump is ramping up pressure by threatening military action against Iran, all the while advocating for negotiations to find a diplomatic resolution to the Iranian nuclear program.

Citing intelligence sources who monitored the 1,000-mile border between Iraq and Iran, the paper said that the missiles were transferred last week.

"Iran has recently transferred missiles to Shia militias in Iraq, including new models with longer range, which have not been given in the past to those militias. It’s a desperate move by the Iranians, risking the stability of Iraq," one source said.

The US has pressured Iraq to force the Shi'ite militias in the country to disarm, with the recent development contradicting reports that the proxies had signalled they would cave in to the pressure.

After the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, the crippling offensives against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran's regional network of proxies has run thin. Besides the Houthis in Yemen, the Iran-backed militias in Iraq are the only major ally Tehran has left against the US.