BRUSSELS: The European Union on Monday claimed that its allies had shared intelligence that Iran had delivered Russia with short-range ballistic missiles for use against Ukraine, and warned of new significant sanctions on Tehran if the deliveries were confirmed.
EU spokesman Peter Stano confirmed the existence of “credible information” about the missile deliveries and said that the EU is currently investigating the matter with its member states. “We are aware of the credible information provided by allies on the delivery of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia,” the spokesman said.
“If confirmed, this delivery would represent a substantive material escalation in Iran’s support for Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine,” Stano said. He added that the EU’s position has consistently been to respond swiftly and in coordination with international partners, which could involve imposing new restrictive measures on Iran.
The Wall Street Journal reported last Friday that the United States had briefed European allies about the alleged missile transfers. This development has raised significant concerns within the EU and among its allies, especially as the Kremlin has recently intensified its bombing campaign against Ukraine’s infrastructure in anticipation of winter.
Despite the gravity of the situation, the Kremlin has not denied the report. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged awareness of the information but cast doubt on its accuracy. “We have seen this report, it is not every time that this kind of information is true,” Peskov stated. He also highlighted the ongoing partnership between Russia and Iran, emphasizing the development of trade, economic, and sensitive areas of cooperation.
“Iran is our important partner, we are developing our trade and economic relations, we are developing our cooperation and dialogue in all possible areas, including the most sensitive areas.”
The reported delivery of missiles to Russia comes as Moscow has once again stepped up its bombing campaign against Ukraine’s key infrastructure ahead of winter.
Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Tehran of supplying Russia with weapons for use in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Iran has firmly rejected the accusations of supplying weapons to Russia. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani addressed the claims during a news conference, saying that Iran is not involved in the Ukraine conflict.
“We strongly reject the claims of Iran’s role in exporting arms to one side of the war,” Kanani said. He accused Iran’s critics of being major arms exporters themselves and reiterated Tehran’s stance of neutrality in the conflict.
The reported missile deliveries come amid ongoing international sanctions targeting both Russia and Iran. Moscow has increasingly turned to Iran and North Korea for weapon supplies as it faces harsh Western sanctions.
In August, Russian National Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu led a delegation to Tehran for high-level talks with Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and National Security Council counterpart Ali Akbar Ahmadian.
