Iran has condemned allegations by Western countries that it has supplied short-range missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine and pledged to respond to new sanctions imposed by a trio of European states.
Tehran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi stated on Wednesday that Iran has not delivered ballistic missiles to Russia and that the United States and its allies are acting on “faulty intelligence”.
The previous day, the Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani called the sanctions announced by Britain, France and Germany “economic terrorism” against the people of Iran and pledged that the three European countries would face “appropriate and proportionate action”.
France, Germany and the United Kingdom announced the sanctions earlier the same day after the United States formally accused Iran of supplying the weapons to Moscow.
The measures revoke bilateral deals for providing air services to Iran and impose sanctions on flag carrier Iran Air that will restrict its ability to fly to Europe.
“In addition, we will pursue the designations of significant entities and individuals involved with Iran’s ballistic missile programme and the transfer of ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia,” the three European states said.
The Iranian spokesman’s statement did not mention similar sanctions that were announced by the US.
“Any claim that the Islamic Republic of Iran has sold ballistic missiles to the Russian Federation is completely baseless and false,” Kanaani said.
Once again, US and E3 act on faulty intelligence and flawed logic
– Iran has NOT delivered ballistic missiles to Russia. Period
– Sanction addicts should ask themselves: how is Iran able to make & supposedly sell sophisticated arms?
Sanctions r NOT a solution, but part of problem— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) September 11, 2024
“Once again, US and E3 act on faulty intelligence and flawed logic,” Araghchi said in a post on X.
“Sanctions addicts should ask themselves: how is Iran able to make and supposedly sell sophisticated arms? Sanctions [are] NOT a solution, but part of problem.”
However, Moscow and Tehran have drawn closer since Moscow launched its invasion in February 2022, with Iran supplying its Shahed drones to Russia.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking alongside British Foreign Secretary David Lammy during a visit to London, said Russia had received shipments of ballistic missiles from Iran and would “likely use them within weeks in Ukraine”.
Warning that cooperation between Moscow and Tehran threatens wider European security, he added that dozens of Russian military personnel had received training in Iran on using the Fath-360 missile, which has a range of 120km (75 miles).
On Wednesday, Britain’s foreign ministry said it had summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires, the country’s most senior diplomat in London.
“The UK Government was clear in that any transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia would be seen as a dangerous escalation and would face a significant response”, the foreign ministry said in a statement,
Posting on X, Kanaani said reports on the alleged transfers were “ugly propaganda” used to conceal “large illegal arms support of the United States and some Western countries for the genocide in Gaza”.
Iran is already one of the most heavily sanctioned countries in the world, and some experts have questioned the impact of more economic penalties that might hurt the country’s middle classes more than its leaders.
