Netherlands summons Iranian ambassador for alleged supply of ballistic missiles to Russia

'This is a serious escalation, with immediate consequences for Europe's security,' says foreign minister says

2024-09-11 19:50:50

GENEVA 

The Dutch foreign minister said Wednesday that he summoned the Iranian ambassador over Tehran's alleged supply of ballistic missiles to Russia.

"The Netherlands condemns the supply of ballistic missiles by Iran to Russia. This is a serious escalation, with immediate consequences for Europe's security," Caspar Veldkamp wrote on X. "Therefore I summoned the Iranian ambassador."

He also pointed to Iran's previous claims of seeking closer ties with Europe.

"Any support for Russia's aggression against Ukraine is entirely counterproductive," he said. "The Netherlands strongly advocates for new, robust EU sanctions."

The US and its European allies claim that missiles supplied by Iran to Russia are being used in Ukraine and it represents "a direct threat to European security," and have announced new sanctions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has denounced the latest round of sanctions, denying reports over the supply.

In a statement posted on his X account, Araghchi said the US and the European trio of the UK, France, and Germany have “once again” acted on "faulty intelligence and flawed logic."

Araghchi stressed that Iran "has not delivered ballistic missiles to Russia."