Senior Iranian official visits Russia amid pressure over alleged missile transfers
The missile transfer allegations, coupled with looming, fresh Western sanctions, further complicated potential plans by the recently elected moderate government in Tehran to reengage with European powers for much-needed economic relief.
TEHRAN — Iranian officials categorically denied reports that Tehran had supplied ballistic missiles to Russia, potentially to be used in the war on Ukraine, as the Islamic Republic's alleged engagement in the conflict triggered renewed international pressure and scrutiny.
"Iran has shipped no missiles to Russia," said Brig. Gen. Fazlollah Nozari, a powerful commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Crops (IRGC), in comments aired on the state television on Monday.
The hard-line general rejected the Western media reports as "a psychological warfare campaign" against Tehran, noting that Iran's position in the Ukraine war remained one of neutrality.
Amid the diplomatic storm, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, arrived in Russia on Tuesday for a meeting of security chiefs from the BRICS group of nations in St. Petersburg.
