Iranian official confirms transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia

Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, has admitted that Iranian ballistic missiles were sent to Russia.

According to Iran International, he shared this in an interview with the Didban Iran newspaper.

According to Ardestani, Iran is forced to barter with Russia “to meet our needs, including imports of soybeans and wheat.”

“Part of the barter involves sending missiles, and the other part involves sending military drones to Russia,” the Iranian official said.

Asked whether sending ballistic missiles to Russia could lead to further sanctions against Iran, the Iranian official replied that “it can’t get any worse than this.”

“We give missiles to Hezbollah, Hamas, and Hashd al-Shaabi (Shiite militia in Iraq – Ed.), so why not give them to Russia?” Ardestani said.

According to the Iranian official, Iran sells weapons and receives dollars, bypassing sanctions through partnership with Russia.

“We import soybeans, corn, and other goods from Russia. Europeans sell weapons to Ukraine. NATO has entered Ukraine, so why don’t we support our ally by sending missiles and drones to Russia,” he says.

On September 6, Militarnyi reported that the United States had informed its allies that Iranian missiles had been transferred to Russia.

The Group of Seven countries previously promised to impose coordinated sanctions against Iran if it supplies missiles to Russia.

On September 2, Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that Iran would soon transfer ballistic missiles to Russia.

Official Tehran has not commented on the transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia.