Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani denies the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia.
That is according to IRNA, as reported by Ukrinform.
“As it has been emphasized repeatedly, the Islamic Republic of Iran, while opposing the war, supports a political solution to resolve differences between Russia and Ukraine to bring an end to the conflict,” the spokesperson said, adding that his country “has never been part of the conflict in Ukraine and has always supported a political solution to end the war there,” Nasser Kanaani said this when asked about the transfer of Iranian short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.
Kanaani is trying to convince that the allegations of the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia are “baseless” and they are repeated by certain Western states seeking political goals.
At the same time, the diplomat noted that the conventional military cooperation between Iran and Russia had been ongoing before the start of the Ukraine war.
“The cooperation is within the framework of bilateral agreements and is based on international law and norms, and has nothing to do with the Ukraine crisis,” he added.
At the same time, Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of the Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said that Iranian short-range ballistic missiles had been transferred to Russia. “We have to barter for our needs, including importing soybeans and wheat. Part of the barter involves sending missiles, and another part involves sending military drones to Russia,” Ardestani said in an interview to the Iranian newspaper Didban on Saturday.
He also voiced his opinion on sanctions against Iran for such barter, saying: “It can’t get any worse than it already is. We give missiles to Hezbollah, Hamas, and Hashd al-Shaabi, so why not to Russia?”
As reported earlier, the Wall Street Journal, citing sources among American and European officials, informed that Iran sent its short-range ballistic missiles to Russia. The publication notes that Iran’s transfer of ballistic missiles will give Moscow another powerful military tool to use in the war against Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry urged Iran to refrain from transferring any types of weapons and military equipment to the Russian Federation.