Iran admits handing over missiles to Russia
Iran has admitted that it has transferred its ballistic missiles to Russia. The transfer was announced by Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of the National Security Commission of the Iranian Parliament.
He stated that the country is "forced" to barter with the Russian Federation: Moscow gives Iran soybeans and wheat, and Iran gives it missiles and drones.
According to Ardestani, Europe knows the strategic position of Tehran. The official was also asked if the transfer of these missiles could lead to increased sanctions against Iran, to which the official replied: “It can't get worse than now. We give missiles to Hezbollah, Hamas and al-Hashd al-Shaabi, so why not give them to the Russian Federation?"
Ardestani also stated that if Europe "wants to pull the trigger, it will only be to its own detriment."
Background
The Wall Street Journal, citing European and American officials, wrote that Iran has already sent short-range ballistic missiles to Russia. This happened when Russia increased its missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that they are deeply concerned about reports of the transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia, and also call on the Iranian authorities to refrain from this.
Back in August, Reuters, citing sources in European intelligence, wrote that Iran could transfer hundreds of Fath-360 (or BM-120) short-range ballistic missiles with satellite guidance to Russia.
Iran's participation in the war against Ukraine
The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine stated that Ukrainian prosecutors and investigators have no doubt that Iranian officials, as well as legal entities and individuals, are involved in the production and supply of drones to Russia. Ukrainian law enforcement officers have collected relevant evidence.
At first, Iran officially denied accusations of supplying weapons to Russian forces, but in November 2022, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian admitted that his country supplied Russia with its drones. However, this allegedly happened even before the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine.
Subsequently, Ukrainian investigators officially confirmed that the manufacturer of the drones with which Russia is attacking Ukraine is the Iranian state aircraft manufacturing company Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company.
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