Iran has confirmed that Tehran has indeed transferred missiles to Russia, following a report by The Wall Street Journal about the delivery of Iranian short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, Babel reports.
This was stated by Iranian MP Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani. A few hours earlier, Iran’s mission to the UN denied the WSJ’s information.
According to him, Iran has to exchange resources to cover its needs. Therefore, Tehran gives Moscow missiles and drones, and Moscow gives soybeans and wheat in return.
The MP was also asked whether sending ballistic missiles to Russia could lead to tougher sanctions against Iran, and he replied: “It can’t be worse than it is. We give missiles to Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Popular Mobilization Forces (Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi), so why not give them to Russia?”
The official also explicitly stated that the partnership with Russia helps Iran circumvent sanctions and receive foreign currency for arms sales. As a comparison, he cited how European countries and NATO provide weapons to Ukraine.
At the same time, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani noted that “the Islamic Republic has never been a part of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict”. Kanaani did not deny the supply of Iranian missiles to Russia, but did not confirm it either.
