Ukraine summons Iran envoy to warn against missile supply to Russia

Ukraine's foreign ministry summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires Monday to warn Tehran against the consequences of ballistic missile shipments to Russia.

A report published last week by The Wall Street Journal suggested that Iran had transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, prompting outrage in Kyiv. At least one Iranian lawmaker confirmed the report Sunday, conflicting a senior Revolutionary Guards commander who had dismissed the claim as “psychological warfare.”

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby added a layer of uncertainty to the situation Monday, when he refused to verify the Wall Street Journal report.

“I cannot confirm the reports that the transfer has happened,” he said in a presser, “but I would point you to what we've said in the past, that any such provision of that kind of technology… could, depending on what the deal, how it's consummated, have equally deleterious effects on the Middle East.”

“An Iran that already has an improving ballistic missile program, we can only assume would want to stand to gain from some sort of partnership with Russia to improve their capabilities in the region,” Kirby added.

Iran is known to have sent Russia drones, but a provision of ballistic missiles would be seen as a serious escalation. So far, no such deal has been officially announced. "No missile was sent to Russia," Brigadier Fazlollah Nozari, a high-ranking IRGC commander said Monday, calling the allegations "psychological warfare".

'Devastating consequences'

On Monday, Kyiv warned Iran that confirmation of such missile deliveries would have "devastating and irreparable consequences" for bilateral relations. Senior Ukrainian official Andrii Yermak further called for Western support, suggesting that his country “must be allowed to destroy warehouses storing these missiles in order to avoid terror."

Iran’s growing support for Russia’s war effort has also been criticized in Tehran. On Sunday, a former Iranian lawmaker who used to chair of the committee on national security and foreign policy slammed Iran's arms sales to Russia as "the dirtiest example of Russophilia", warning that the leaders of the Islamic Republic are “dragging” the country “further into global conflict and sanctions which have led to the country's worst economic crisis” in more than four decades.

Also on Sunday, a sitting Iranian MP seemed to confirm Tehran’s military assistance to Russia, albeit downplaying the threats from Ukraine and its Western allies. Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani justified the arms sales to Russia by saying his country has to subsequently "barter" for its needs, including soybeans and wheat. "Part of the barter involves sending missiles, and another part involves sending military drones to Russia," he said.

When asked whether sending ballistic missiles to Russia might lead to further sanctions or trigger the so-called "snapback" mechanism against Iran, the member of the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee replied, "It can't get any worse than it already is. We give missiles to [our proxies] Hezbollah, Hamas, and Hashd al-Shaabi, so why not to Russia?"