Iran Denies Supplying Missiles to Russia for War in Ukraine

Iran has denied sending arms to Russia for use in the ongoing war in Ukraine after a report cited U.S. and European officials alleging that the Islamic Republic had provided Moscow with short-range ballistic missiles.

The report, which first appeared Friday in The Wall Street Journal, was said to be based on evidence provided by U.S. officials to European allies. President Joe Biden‘s administration had previously threatened Tehran with “a severe response” if it went through with transferring such weapons to Moscow.

In a statement shared with Newsweek, however, the Iranian Mission to the United Nations stated that Iran had not provided weapons to either side of the conflict in Ukraine and called on other nations to cease doing so.

“Iran’s position vis-à-vis the Ukraine conflict remains unchanged,” the Iranian Mission said. “Iran considers the provision of military assistance to the parties engaged in the conflict—which leads to increased human casualties, destruction of infrastructure, and a distancing from ceasefire negotiations—to be inhumane.”

The statement continued: “Thus, not only does Iran abstain from engaging in such actions itself but it also calls upon other countries to cease the supply of weapons to the sides involved in the conflict.”

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Embassy to the United States and the U.S. State Department for comment.

U.S. and European officials have previously accused Iran of providing Russia with vast quantities of drones, and the Russian military has frequently been observed using unmanned aerial vehicles bearing a close resemblance to Iran’s Shahed line of loitering munitions, or “suicide drones.”

In one of the most recent instances, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had announced Friday that anti-aircraft gunners had downed a Shahed drone over the Kyiv region.

Tehran and Moscow have shored up relations over the past decade, particularly through their shared goal of supporting government forces in Syria against rebel forces, some of which were backed by the U.S., as well as the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) throughout the country’s ongoing civil war.

This relationship has continued since Russia launched a large-scale conflict against neighboring Ukraine in February 2022 following years of clashes between Ukrainian forces and separatist rebels aligned with Moscow. Iran has also sought to purchase Russian aircraft, particularly Sukhoi Su-35 jets, and has expressed interest in purchasing advanced air defense systems as well.

While Iran has invested heavily in expanding its domestically produced arsenal of offensive and defensive platforms, concerns over national security have risen since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, which began when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. Iran has supported Hamas and a number of fellow Axis of Resistance factions waging operations against Israel, with which Iran engaged in an unprecedented direct exchange of strikes in April.

Iran has again vowed to conduct a direct attack on Israel following the unclaimed killing of Hamas Political Bureau head Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July. Israeli officials have also threatened military action against Iran, and some have called for a preemptive joint strike with support from the U.S.

This is a developing news story. More information will be added as it becomes available.