LONDON: Defence Secretary Ash Carter confirms the US has indications that four Russian cruise missiles crashed in Iran rather than Syria, suggesting there were malfunctions.

It's the first public comment by a US official on the cruise missile failures.

Carter is speaking at a press conference in London with British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon. The British are part of the coalition striking Islamic State fighters in Iraq, but not doing strikes in Syria.

As many as four of the 26 long-range cruise missiles that Russia said it fired at Syrian targets landed instead in Iran.