IRNA news agency asked Nasser Kanaani for comments on a report by Politico, which claimed, citing “diplomats,” that China and Russia are in “advanced secret talks” with Iran to replenish the Islamic Republic’s supply of “a key chemical compound used to propel ballistic missiles.”
The report quoted the diplomats as claiming that “if the deal goes through, some of those rockets could end up being deployed against Ukraine.”
Kanaani, however, said, “Such types of news are meant to prolong the war in Ukraine.”
“The purpose of continuously publishing such clumsy news is to distract the public attention from the unbridled dispatch of Western sophisticated weapons to Ukraine in order to pursue their strategic goals by prolonging the war in this country,” Kanaani added.
The news comes amid worries in Washington over stepped-up defense cooperation among Iran, Russia and China in the face of US threats. The trio held another joint military drill in the Sea of Oman weeks earlier.
Kiev and its Western allies have accused Iran of intervention in the Ukraine war by providing Russia with drones for use in the military campaign, without providing any evidence.
Tehran has repeatedly dismissed the claims as baseless and reiterated the need for dialog among the parties to the conflict.
