Kremlin Responds to Report on Missile Supplies from Iran, Calls Tehran a Partner – Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin responded on Monday to a report from a financial publication claiming that Iran has provided short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, stating that Iran is a key partner and that the two nations are enhancing their dialogue across various sectors.

The publication referred to unnamed U.S. and European officials who alleged that Iran had delivered these missiles to Russia. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged he was aware of the report but emphasized that not all such claims are accurate.

"Iran is our important partner; we are advancing our trade and economic relations, and we are enhancing cooperation and dialogue in all possible areas, including the most sensitive ones," Peskov told reporters.

Since Russia deployed a large contingent of troops to Ukraine in February 2022, ties between Tehran and Moscow have strengthened, with Iran supplying its Shahed drones to the Russian military.

According to state media, Fazlollah Nozari, a senior commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, deemed the reports of missile transfers to Russia as "psychological warfare."

The United States remarked on Friday that any transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia would represent a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.