Iranian MP confirms sending ballistic missiles to Russia, though other official deny it
Pravda Ukraine
Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, has admitted that Iranian ballistic missiles have been sent to Russia, which it needs to fire at Ukraine.
Source: He said this in an interview with the Iranian newspaper Didban Iran, European Pravda reports, citing Iran International
Commenting on Western media reports of ballistic missiles being sent to Russia, Ardestani said that Tehran is forced to barter with Russia “for our needs, including importing soybeans and wheat”.
Quote: “Part of the barter involves sending missiles, and another part involves sending military drones to Russia,” he added.
Asked whether sending ballistic missiles to Russia could lead to further sanctions against Iran, the Iranian lawmaker replied: “It can’t get any worse than it already is. We give missiles to Hezbollah, Hamas, and Hashd al-Shaab [Shiite militia in Iraq – ed.], so why not to Russia?”
“We sell weapons and receive dollars. We circumvent sanctions through our partnership with Russia. We import soybeans, corn, and other goods from Russia. Europeans sell arms to Ukraine. NATO has entered Ukraine, so why shouldn’t we support our ally by sending missiles and drones to Russia?” Ardestani said.
Despite this statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani once again denied reports of ballistic missiles being sent to Russia in a commentary to IRNA on Sunday.
He also reiterated that Tehran has allegedly “never been a part of the conflict”, opposes the war and “supports a political solution to resolve differences between Russia and Ukraine to bring an end to the conflict”.
Background:
- On 5 and 6 September, Western media reported that Iran had already transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia. Some sources spoke of more than 200 missiles.
- Reuters, the first to report on the upcoming supply of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia, wrote that it could be the Fath-360, a system that launches ballistic missiles with a 150-kilogramme warhead with a maximum effective range of 120 kilometres.
- The White House National Security Council said that if Iran transferred or would transfer ballistic missiles to Russia, it would be a “dramatic escalation“.
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