Ukraine summons Iranian diplomat over alleged ballistic missile transfers to Russia

Shafaq News/ On Monday, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry summoned Iran's Charge d'Affaires, Shahriar Amouzegar, to address its serious concerns over reports that Iran may have supplied ballistic missiles to Russia.

On Telegram, the ministry warned Amouzegar that confirmation of such deliveries would have "devastating and irreparable consequences" for bilateral relations, according to Reuters.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kan'ani responded to the allegations, stating, "As it has been emphasized many times, the Islamic Republic of Iran, while opposing the war, supports the political solution to resolve the disputes between Russia and Ukraine and end the military conflicts."

Kan'ani stressed that Iran has "never been a part of this conflict and its continuation," and reaffirmed Tehran's support for a political resolution and bilateral negotiations to end the crisis.

Moreover, he asserted that Iran's stance on the Ukraine crisis remains unchanged and dismissed the claims of missile transfers as "politically motivated and completely baseless." Kan'ani further clarified, "The conventional military cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation has a history much older than the start of the Ukrainian war. These cooperations are within the framework of bilateral agreements and based on international norms and laws and have nothing to do with the Ukraine crisis."

Notably, the United States has informed its allies that it believes Iran has transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the Ukraine conflict, two sources familiar with the matter told the Associated Press on Saturday.

While the White House has not confirmed the arms transfers, it has reiterated concerns over Iran's deepening support for Russia.

Washington has been warning Tehran for months about the potential missile transfers. National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savitt previously stated that "Any transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia would represent a radical escalation in Iran's support for Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine."