Reports that Iran is transferring missiles to Russia are “psychological warfare,” a senior Revolutionary Guards commander was quoted by state media as saying.
The Iranian denial comes as Ukraine claims to have shot down hundreds of “Iranian-made drones” and announces an indictment against an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander for “war crimes” against the Ukrainian people.
For its part, the US government announced, in its first response to the news of Iran’s delivery of the first batch of ballistic missiles to Russia, that any such transfer of Iranian weapons represents a major escalation in Tehran’s support for Moscow.
The American newspaper, The Wall Street Journal, reported last Friday, quoting an American official, that despite Western warnings, Iran had supplied Russia with a shipment of short-range ballistic missiles.
According to this report, the United States and Europe are working to impose a new package of sanctions against Iran, in response to this move.
Western countries had previously warned Iran that sending ballistic missiles to Russia would have serious consequences for Tehran, and the G7 threatened to impose new sanctions, including preventing Iran’s national airline, Iran Air, from continuing its flights to European airports.
In December, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps deployed ballistic missiles and missile support systems to a training area inside Iran to show them to visiting Russian delegations, all signs that Russia intends to purchase the systems from Iran.
An American official confirmed, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, that these missiles have already been delivered to Russia.
A senior European official also warned that this shipment was “not the end,” noting that Iran would continue to export weapons to Russia.
On the other hand, the Wall Street Journal confirmed that the United States informed its allies a few days ago that the first batch of Iranian short-range ballistic missiles was being sent to Russia.
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