Iranian MP confirms sending ballistic missiles to Russia despite official denials

Oleh Pavliuk — Sunday, 8 September 2024, 13:02

Two Iranian Kheibar Shekan Ballistic missiles are seen in downtown Tehran. Stock photo: Getty Images

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 uses them to attack Ukraine.

Source: Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani in an interview for the Iranian newspaper Didban Iran, as reported by European Pravda, 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."

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 admission, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani once again denied reports of ballistic missiles being sent to Russia in a comment to IRNA on Sunday.

He also repeated the claim that Tehran has "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 delivered short-range ballistic missiles to Russia. Some sources said more than 200 missiles had been sent.
Reuters, the first to report that Iran was preparing to supply ballistic missiles to Russia, said it could be sending Fath-360s, a system that launches ballistic missiles with a 150-kg warhead with a maximum effective range of 120 km.
The White House National Security Council said any transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia would be a "dramatic escalation".

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