Iran and Russia Deny Sending Ballistic Missiles to Moscow

The Kremlin on Wednesday rejected reports that Iran has sent missiles to Russia, stating that claims about the transfer of various weapons from Iran to Russia are "baseless." Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, responded to recent statements by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said that Iran has delivered missiles to Russia, telling reporters: "We hear many accusations regarding some kind of arms supply to Russia, but these accusations are unfounded." Antony Blinken stated on Tuesday, September 20, that Russia received ballistic missiles from Iran and would likely use them in Ukraine within weeks. He also warned that cooperation between Moscow and Tehran threatens broader European security. Simultaneously, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, described the news of ballistic missile shipments from Iran to Russia as based on "false information and flawed logic." He wrote in a message that "Iran has not sent ballistic missiles to Russia. Period." He criticized the imposition of further sanctions against Iran, stating that "sanctions are not a solution but part of the problem." Following Blinken's statements, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that entities based in Iran and Russia involved in the transfer of Iranian weapons to Russia have been identified and will be sanctioned. After Blinken's announcement, the U.S., along with its three European allies—Britain, France, and Germany—announced sanctions against the Iranian airline "Iran Air." British media reported that the country has sanctioned "all" Iranian flights. The statement from the Office of Foreign Assets Control in the U.S. Treasury announced sanctions against 20 Iranian and Russian individuals and entities, as well as four Russian ships involved in the transfer of "Iran's lethal aid" to Russia. The Treasury Department targeted Iranian and Russian individuals in this context: Rouhollah Katebi based in Moscow, a liaison between Iran and Russia; Ebrahim Bahrami based in Iran and an employee of "Shahid Khazari Industries," which is part of the "Shahid Bakri Industries" group linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and involved in contacting Russia and training Russian military personnel in Iran; Ali Jafarabadi residing in Iran, who is the commander of the "Salman Farsi" space complex affiliated with the aerospace force of the IRGC; and Jamaluddin Amir Mohammadovich Pashayev, the owner of a network of Russian shipping companies. The Iranian transportation company "Azadegan," due to its ties to the IRGC and logistical operations for the IRGC under the auspices of the IRGC Cooperative Foundation, along with three of its subsidiaries based in Iran named Amad Behineh Engineering Company, Engineering Inspection and Quality Control Company, and Talaye Sabz Jahan Company, were also sanctioned. The Treasury Department also sanctioned Ali Zareh, the chairman of the board of Azadegan Transportation Company; Gholamreza Aini Sarkaleh, a board member; and Masoud Nour Ahmadi, the CEO of Azadegan. The U.S. statement also sanctioned another Iranian company named Farzanegan Propulsion Systems Design and three of its officials: Hossein Pourfarzaneh, Zahra Pourfarzaneh, and Hassan Pourfarzaneh, in connection with supporting the "development of cruise missiles" and providing designs to Russia. All assets and potential interests of the mentioned companies and individuals in U.S. territory will be blocked, and any cooperation by individuals and entities with them, whether direct or indirect, will be subject to prosecution and punishment, and their assets and interests may also be blocked. While France, Germany, and Britain also announced on Tuesday that they intend to sanction Iran Air, the spokesperson for the Islamic Republic of Iran Airlines stated that Iran Air flights to European destinations are ongoing, saying, "No issue regarding sanctions has been communicated to us yet." The German Foreign Ministry, in response to a question from Radio Farda about whether Iran Air has been sanctioned and if this is part of the sanctions law, stated in a written message: "Germany is currently consulting closely with its European and international partners to impose new sanctions, including in the aviation sector, on Iran." The governments of France, Germany, and Britain on Tuesday strongly condemned the transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia, stating: "This act is an escalation of tensions by Iran and Russia and a direct threat to Europe's security." The statement added that the European troika will take immediate steps to revoke bilateral air service agreements with Iran. The head of Ukraine's military intelligence announced that the country has developed a new attack drone capable of targeting objectives deep within Russian territory. Kyrylo Budanov reported on Facebook that the agency is working with specialists to develop drones capable of striking up to a range of 1,800 kilometers. He stated that Ukraine has identified Russia's weaknesses. Newsweek reported on September 20 that the range of Ukraine's new combat drone reaches half of Russian territory and extends to parts of Iran. A map published in Newsweek indicates that the northwest region of Iran falls within the range of this type of drone. Andriy Yermak, head of the office of Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, this week, following reports of the delivery of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia, stated that Ukraine is asking Western countries that have equipped the Ukrainian army to allow the use of these weapons to target military depots deep within Russian territory.