Iran rejects UK media claim of missiles transfer to Russia as ‘speculative fiction’

The Iranian Embassy in the United Kingdom has categorically dismissed allegations made by a British television news channel about the transfer of missiles from Tehran to Moscow to be used in the Ukraine war.

Iran’s diplomatic mission in London said in a post on its X social media account on Friday that the Sky News’s resorting to a satellite image with no evidence of missiles being transferred was not journalism but “speculative fiction.”

“Sky News claims Iran transferred missiles to Russia via the Port Olya 3 ship based solely on a satellite image! No evidence of missiles being loaded or unloaded, and the location isn’t even specified. This isn’t journalism, it’s speculative fiction,” the mission wrote.

The TV news channel claimed in a report on Wednesday that satellite imagery had captured a Russian-flagged cargo ship suspected of transporting ballistic missiles from Iran docked at a port in Russia a week ago.

Citing a Ukrainian source, Sky News claimed that the Port Olya 3 vessel had shipped “around 220 short-range ballistic missiles via the Caspian Sea to Russia” to be used for the war in Ukraine.

Since the war broke out in Ukraine in February 2022, the Islamic Republic has on numerous occasions brushed off the accusations of interfering in the conflict in the realms of providing military equipment and assistance to Russia.

In a related development on Friday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Naser Kan’ani also condemned the statement of the High Representative of the European Union that accused the Islamic Republic of interference in the Ukraine conflict.

Iran slams EU allegations on missile supplies to Russia

Iran has strongly condemned the European Union’s allegations about its involvement in the Ukraine war.

A day earlier, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned heads of the British, French, Dutch and German embassies to Tehran to protest “unconstructive remarks” by European officials regarding claims of Tehran’s meddling in the protracted war.

The US, UK, France and Germany have already slapped their own sanctions on Iran over the allegations, despite Iran’s denial.

On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France and Germany – known as the E3 – issued a statement against what they alleged was “Iran’s export and Russia’s procurement of Iranian ballistic missiles.”

They also decided to “cancel bilateral air services agreements with Iran” and announced that they would work towards imposing sanctions against Iran Air, the country’s national airliner. 

On Tuesday, the US Treasury and the State Department imposed sanctions on 10 individuals and nine entities based in Iran and Russia.

Included in the sanctions were ships that regularly bring cargo across the Caspian Sea between Iran and Russia, the Treasury said.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk