Bloomberg News and the Wall Street Journal have reported that Iran, despite warnings from Western countries, has delivered ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine. However, the Iranian regime’s delegation to the United Nations denied these reports.
The two outlets reported on Friday, September 6, that Iran recently delivered the ballistic missiles to Russia. Bloomberg, citing informed sources, stated that the U.S. has informed its allies about this development.
Three days earlier, Bloomberg had reported that Ukraine’s allies believed that the ballistic missile transfer from Iran to Russia would take place within a few days. The Wall Street Journal also cited an American official saying that the U.S. had recently informed its allies that the missile delivery had been completed.
According to the report, the shipment included over 200 short-range ballistic missiles. The Wall Street Journal also quoted a European official stating that this was not the end, and that weapons shipments from Tehran to Moscow were ongoing.
Both American media outlets reported that the U.S. and the European Union are planning to impose sanctions on Tehran over this action. The Wall Street Journal wrote that the new EU sanctions package against Iran will likely include sanctions on Iran’s national airline, Iran Air, and several individuals and entities involved in the ballistic missile deliveries to Russia.
Meanwhile, Sean Savett, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, expressed concern over reports of missile transfers from Iran to Russia, stating that any such transfer signals an escalation in Iran’s support for Russia’s aggressive war in Ukraine. Another U.S. official told Reuters that Washington is closely monitoring the missile transfers between Iran and Russia.
In contrast, Iran’s mission to the United Nations on Friday denied the reports of missile transfers to Russia, asserting that the regime’s stance on the Ukraine conflict has not changed, and that Iran considers providing military assistance to either side as inhumane. According to the state-run IRNA news agency, Iran’s UN office stated: “Not only does Iran refrain from such actions, but it also calls on other countries to cease sending weapons to the parties involved in the conflict.”
Cooperation between Moscow and Tehran has increased since Russia’s war against Ukraine began, with the Iranian regime sending a large number of drones and other military equipment to Russia. The decision to send ballistic missiles had been discussed for some time, and Reuters reported on August 9 that a group of Russian military personnel had traveled to Iran to receive training on using “Fateh-360” ballistic missiles.
Reuters, citing European sources, reported that hundreds of these missiles were expected to be delivered to Russia soon. While the Iranian regime has consistently denied sending weapons to Russia for use against civilians in Ukraine, Western and Ukrainian officials have so far provided multiple pieces of evidence of Iranian-made weapons, including Shahed drones, being sent to Russia.
