Tehran has strongly denied allegations from Western nations that it has supplied short-range missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine, labeling the new sanctions imposed by the European trio—Britain, France, and Germany—as “economic terrorism.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared on Wednesday that Iran has not provided ballistic missiles to Russia, accusing the U.S. and its allies of relying on “faulty intelligence.” On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani condemned the sanctions imposed by the three European countries, asserting that they would face “appropriate and proportionate action.”
The sanctions, announced earlier in the day, include the revocation of bilateral air service agreements with Iran and restrictions on Iran Air’s operations to Europe. Additionally, the measures target significant entities and individuals associated with Iran’s ballistic missile program and its purported transfer of missiles to Russia.
Kanaani dismissed the allegations as baseless, stating, “Any claim that the Islamic Republic of Iran has sold ballistic missiles to the Russian Federation is completely unfounded and false.”
Araghchi criticized the sanctions, questioning how Iran could supposedly manufacture and sell advanced weapons despite the sanctions. He argued that sanctions are part of the problem, not the solution.
Despite these denials, Iran and Russia have strengthened their ties since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with Iran supplying Shahed drones to Moscow. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, alongside British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, recently claimed that Russia has received ballistic missiles from Iran and might use them in Ukraine soon. Blinken warned that this cooperation poses a broader threat to European security and noted that Russian military personnel have received training in Iran on the Fath-360 missile.
The UK Foreign Ministry summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires, stating that any transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia would be considered a dangerous escalation and would provoke a significant response.
Kanaani responded by calling the reports “ugly propaganda,” aimed at distracting from what he described as the illegal arms support provided by the U.S. and some Western countries for the situation in Gaza.
Iran remains one of the most heavily sanctioned nations globally, with ongoing debate about whether additional economic penalties will have any significant impact on the country’s leadership or merely affect its middle class.
