Iran denies supplying ballistic missiles to Russia
Iran's then-top nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi attends a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria, June 28, 2019. (Reuters Photo)
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that Tehran had not delivered any ballistic missiles to Russia and sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States and three European powers would not solve any problems between them.
“Once again, the US and E3 act on faulty intelligence and flawed logic. Iran has NOT delivered ballistic missiles to Russia. Period… Sanctions are not a solution, but part of the problem,” Araqchi said in a post on X.
The E3 comprises Britain, Germany and France.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that Russia had received ballistic missiles from Iran and was likely to use them in Ukraine within weeks. Cooperation between Moscow and Tehran threatened wider European security, he said.
The United States, Germany, Britain and France on Tuesday imposed new sanctions on Iran, including measures against its national airline Iran Air.
The Kremlin on Wednesday dismissed reports that Iran had shipped missiles to Russia, saying claims about various arms transfers were baseless.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands summoned the Iranian ambassador, and Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said on X that it was calling for “new, robust EU sanctions.”
