SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward said Friday that Russia is attempting to obtain additional weapons from Iran, while in return it offers Tehran an unprecedented level of military and technical support.
Russia is attempting to obtain more weapons from Iran, including hundreds of ballistic missiles, said Woodward ahead of a meeting of the Security Council.
The meeting was requested by Russia, on weapons from the Ukraine conflict that Russia says is “falling into the hands of bandits and terrorists” elsewhere in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
According to the British diplomat, since August Iran has transferred hundreds of drones – also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – to Russia, which had used them to “kill civilians and illegally target civilian infrastructure” in Ukraine.
“Russia is now attempting to obtain more weapons, including hundreds of ballistic missiles,” Woodward told reporters.
“In return, Russia is offering Iran an unprecedented level of military and technical support. We’re concerned that Russia intends to provide Iran with more advanced military components, which will allow Iran to strengthen their weapons capability,” she added.
She also said Britain was “almost certain that Russia is seeking to source weaponry from North Korea (and) other heavily sanctioned states, as their own stocks palpably dwindle.”
The Iranian and North Korean missions to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Woodward’s remarks
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council later on Friday that Moscow had already refuted “on many occasions” the accusations that Russia was receiving military supplies from Iran.
“The military industrial complex in Russia can work perfectly fine and doesn’t need anyone’s assistance, whereas the Ukrainian military industry does not basically exist and is being assisted by the Western industry,” he said.
(Esta Media Network/Reuters)
