Iran admits missile trade with Russia, sparks international uproar
An Iranian deputy admitted that his country provided Russia with short-range ballistic missiles. "We have to barter to meet our needs, including the import of soybeans and wheat," he defended.
A member of the Iranian parliament's national security committee, Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, admitted that Russia received Iranian ballistic missiles.
"We have to barter to meet our needs, including the import of soybeans and wheat. Part of the barter is sending missiles and the other part is sending military drones to Russia," Ardestani said in an interview with the Iranian newspaper "Didban Iran."
"It cannot be worse"
The parliamentarian was asked whether aiding Russia in its war in Ukraine could lead to further sanctions on Iran.
"It cannot be worse than it is. We give missiles to Hezbollah, Hamas, and Hashd al-Shaabi (a Shia militia operating in Iraq - ed.), so why not give them to Russia?" he asked.
"We sell weapons and get dollars. We bypass sanctions thanks to our partnership with Russia. We import soybeans, corn and other goods from Russia. Europeans sell weapons to Ukraine. NATO entered Ukraine, so why don’t we support our ally by sending missiles and drones to Russia?" Ardestani asked.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry concerned
The "Wall Street Journal," citing sources among American and European officials, reported that Iran provided Russia with short-range ballistic missiles. According to Reuters, these are Fath-360 systems.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expressed concern about these reports and called on the international community to pressure Tehran.
"Iran must completely and finally stop supplying weapons to Russia in order to prove by actions, not words, the sincerity of its political leadership's statements about its non-involvement in fuelling the Russian military killing machine," the statement said.
