HOME > AFP-JIJI PRESS NEWS JOURNAL > Article
US warns of 'consequences' if Iran sends missiles to Russia
The European Union said Monday its allies had shared credible intelligence that Iran had supplied Russia with ballistic missiles, a move Washington warned would be met with significant consequences.
The claim was rejected by Tehran but not explicitly denied by the Kremlin. EU and US officials said that, if true, it would constitute a major escalation of Iran's support for Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine.
US media outlets reported last week that Washington believed Iran had transferred the weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine, citing anonymous sources.
We are aware of the credible information provided by allies on the delivery of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia, EU spokesman Peter Stano said.
We are looking further into it with our member states and if confirmed, this delivery would represent a substantive material escalation in Iran's support for Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.
Stano added that the EU leaders' unanimous position has always been clear. The European Union will respond swiftly and in coordination with international partners, including with new and significant restrictive measures against Iran.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said during a weekly press conference: We strongly reject the claims on Iran's role in exporting arms to one side of the war.
The West has been warning Tehran against sending Russia missiles for months, and the EU has already repeatedly hit Iran with sanctions for supplying drones to Moscow for the war in Ukraine.
Any transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia would represent a dramatic escalation in Iran's support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told journalists.
We have been clear... that we're prepared to deliver significant consequences.
- 'Severe' response -
The Kremlin did not issue a denial on Monday when asked specifically about the Wall Street Journal report that Iran had sent missiles.
We have seen this report, it is not every time that this kind of information is true, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Iran is our important partner, we are developing our trade and economic relations, we are developing our cooperation and dialogue in all possible areas, including the most sensitive areas.
The United States had previously said any deliveries would invoke a severe response and damage Tehran's efforts to improve relations with the West following the election of reformist Masoud Pezeshkian as president.
Faced with punishing Western sanctions, Moscow has turned to Iran and North Korea for weapons supplies to keep its war machine going in Ukraine.
Ukraine says it has been attacked with Iranian-designed Shahed drones on an almost daily basis from Russia and has found fragments of North Korean missiles on its territory.
The Kremlin has once again stepped up its bombing campaign against Ukraine's key infrastructure ahead of winter.
burs/rlp/giv
(2024/09/10 17:33)
Click Here for Japanese TranslationAFP-JIJI PRESS NEWS JOURNAL
- 09/18 20:07 Gaza engineer harnesses sunlight to make saltwater drinkable
- 09/18 20:06 Storm Boris toll rises to 22 in central Europe
- 09/18 18:13 Trump says only 'consequential' presidents get shot at
- 09/18 18:12 Israeli supply chain infiltration likely behind Hezbollah pager blasts-- analysts
- 09/18 17:08 'I am a rapist,' Frenchman tells trial over mass rape of wife
- 09/18 17:07 Dutch king vows 'stricter' asylum policy in key speech
- 09/17 17:51 Meta bans Russian state media outlets for 'interference'
- 09/17 17:50 Town at center of US migrant conspiracies hit with 33 bomb threats
- 09/17 17:47 Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrested amid assault lawsuits
- 09/17 17:14 US woman died after abortion ban delayed her medical care-- report
- 09/17 17:09 Iran president vows to ensure morality police don't 'bother' women
- 09/17 17:07 US Secret Service insists Trump well-protected despite second scare
- 09/13 20:27 Wreck discovered of French steamship that sank in Atlantic in 1856
- 09/13 20:25 Noel Gallagher's 'Brit Pop' guitars go under hammer
- 09/13 19:00 US says new Apple AirPods can be hearing aids
- 09/13 18:39 Putin warns West risks 'war' if it backs Ukraine long-range strikes
- 09/13 17:02 Bomb threat rattles US city in Republican anti-migrant conspiracy
- 09/13 17:01 Tottenham's Bentancur charged with misconduct over remarks about teammate Son
- 09/12 17:58 King Charles III glad of 'healing hug' from New Zealand women's rugby team
- 09/12 17:56 Gaza rescuers say Israeli strike on school killed 18
- 09/12 17:54 Rahm eyes DP World Tour events despite LIV-related sanctions
- 09/12 17:10 US, UK promise quick review on Ukraine military asks, ramp up aid
- 09/12 17:06 Mexico adopts world-first judicial reforms after protesters storm Congress
- 09/12 17:04 Korea star in tears as he denies 'ridiculous' China match-fix charges
- 09/11 19:22 South Korean pet care goes high-tech with AI diagnostics
- 09/11 19:16 F1 design guru Newey targets championship glory after joining Aston Martin
- 09/11 17:38 Raygun's revenge-- Lampooned Aussie breakdancer tops world rankings
- 09/11 17:09 Dam overflow sparks new crisis in insurgency-hit Nigerian city
- 09/11 17:07 Western powers sanction Iran over missiles to Russia
- 09/11 16:52 China slaps lifetime football bans on 43 over gambling, match-fixing
- 09/10 18:02 Beyonce's 'Cowboy Carter' snubbed by Country Music awards
- 09/10 17:47 Smoke from Brazil fires clouds major cities, neighboring countries
- 09/10 17:42 Serena's catsuit to Osaka's green day - fashion highs in tennis
- 09/10 17:33 US warns of 'consequences' if Iran sends missiles to Russia
- 09/10 17:16 Eiffel family will fight Olympic rings staying on Paris tower
- 09/10 17:07 Celestial clean-- Japanese duo spruce up world's tallest bronze Buddha