Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian meets with Russian Security Council’s Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 5, 2024. Photo: Iran’s Presidency/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

Iran’s foreign minister on Wednesday said that his country had not delivered any ballistic missiles to Russia after the US and some European countries imposed sanctions on Tehran over the reported weapons delivery.

“Once again, US and E3 [which comprises Britain, Germany, and France] act on faulty intelligence and flawed logic,” Abbas Araghchi posted on X/Twitter. “Iran has NOT delivered ballistic missiles to Russia. Period — Sanction addicts should ask themselves: how is Iran able to make & supposedly sell sophisticated arms? Sanctions r NOT a solution, but part of problem [sic].”

CNN and the Wall Street Journal reported last week that Iran had transferred ballistic missiles to Russia for Moscow to use in its ongoing war against Ukraine. Then on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Russia has received ballistic missiles from Iran and will likely use them in Ukraine within weeks.

The US, Germany, Britain, and France on Tuesday imposed new sanctions on Iran, including against its national airline Iran Air.

Earlier this week, the European Union (EU) described as “credible” information provided by allies indicating Iran has supplied short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to help Moscow wage war in Ukraine.

Amid the backlash, Kyiv said on Tuesday that it could cut diplomatic ties with Tehran if Russia used ballistic missiles supplied by Iran in attacks against Ukraine.

“I will not say now exactly what is meant by devastating consequences, so as not to weaken our diplomatic position. But I can say that all options, including the one you mentioned, are on the table,” foreign ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyi said when asked if Ukraine could cut bilateral ties with Iran.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed to coordinate a global response to any country helping Russia without mentioning Iran.

“I want to say to everyone in the world who still wants somehow to help [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Zelenskiy said. “We will do everything not just to defend our state and people, but to truly consolidate the world for strong responses to the incitement of war or any attempts to prolong it.”

However, Iran has adamantly denied the allegations of supplying Russia with missiles.

“We strongly reject allegations about Iran’s role in sending weapons to one side of the war and we assess these allegations as politically motivated by some parties,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said at a press conference.

Separately, a senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an internationally designated terrorist organization, refuted the claims.

“No missile was sent to Russia and this claim is a kind of psychological warfare,” Fazlollah Nozari was quoted by the Iranian Labour News Agency as saying. “Iran does not support any of the parties to the Ukraine-Russia conflict.”

Russia on Wednesday dismissed reports that Iran had shipped missiles to Russia, characterizing such claims as baseless.

Earlier this week, however, Russian officials did not explicitly deny the allegations and expressed solidarity with their Iranian counterparts.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday said of the reports that “this kind of information is not true every time.” But then he quickly touted Russia’s relationship with Iran and said the partnership would continue to grow.

“Iran is our important partner,” he told reporters. “We are developing our trade and economic relations. We are developing our cooperation and dialogue in all possible areas, including the most sensitive ones, and will continue to do so in the interests of the peoples of our two countries.”

CIA Director William Burns warned of the growing and “troubling” defense relationship between Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea while speaking at a public event in London this past weekend. He said their increased coordination and cooperation threatened not only Ukraine but also Western allies in the Middle East.

Western and Ukrainian officials have dismissed denials of Iranian weapons transfers in the past. Russia has been receiving Iranian-made Shahed drones since 2022 and using them against Ukraine, according to analysts and government officials.

Ukraine downgraded ties with Iran in 2022 over Iran’s supplying of the drones, which Russian troops have used to attack Ukrainian forces.

Reuters and other media outlets also reported earlier this year that Iran sent ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine, indicating the latest reported missile transfer wasn’t the first.

Warming ties between Moscow and Tehran have extended beyond military matters. For the past two years, Iran and Russia have been working on a major comprehensive bilateral agreement to strengthen cooperation in a wide array of areas. Officials from both countries have said in recent months that the deal will be signed in the near future without elaborating.

Reuters contributed to this report.