Fmr. Iranian lawmaker raps declared ballistic missile sales to Russia

He warned that Iranian officials are turning the country into a pawn in a war where Russian President Putin will not emerge victorious.

Falahatpisheh added that tensions between Iran and the US will persist until Putin finds a way out of the Ukraine conflict.

His remarks follow a statement by Fada Hossein Maleki, a member of Parliament, who claimed that Iran profits from selling arms to Russia and circumventing sanctions through their partnership.

Maleki stated, “Europe sells weapons to Ukraine, and NATO is involved. Why shouldn’t we support our ally by providing missiles and drones to Russia?”

The developments came after the Iranian UN Mission in New York released a statement in response to reports suggesting that Tehran had delivered short-range ballistic missiles to Moscow.

The statement reads: “Iran’s position vis-à-vis the Ukraine conflict remains unchanged. Iran considers the provision of military assistance to the parties engaged in the conflict—which leads to increased human casualties, destruction of infrastructure, and a distancing from ceasefire negotiations—to be inhumane. Thus, not only does Iran abstain from engaging in such actions itself, but it also calls upon other countries to cease the supply of weapons to the sides involved in the conflict.”

Meanwhile, the principlist Kayhan newspaper defended Russia as a crucial ally and accused reformist critics of trying to damage Iran-Russia relations, despite the failure of the Iran nuclear deal.

The paper warned against creating unnecessary challenges with non-Western powers.