By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine said Tuesday it is considering severing ties with Iran amid recent media reports that claim Tehran has allegedly transferred ballistic missiles to Russia.
“I won't specify what exactly is meant by 'devastating consequences' now, so as not to weaken the diplomatic position. But I can say that all options, including the one you mentioned, are on the table,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said at a news conference in Kyiv.
The reports concern not just Ukraine’s security but that of Europe and the Middle East, said Tykhyi, who urged Kyiv’s partners and the international community to increase pressure on Iran and Russia.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry announced Monday that it summoned Iran’s Charge d’Affaires to Kyiv, Shahriar Amuzegar, because of the reports. It said it handed a warning that the confirmation of the reports would have “devastating and irreparable consequences for Ukrainian-Iranian bilateral relations."
Media reports said a batch of 200 Iranian ballistic missiles had already arrived Sept. 4 at an unspecified port on the Caspian Sea.
Iranian authorities have been consistently rejecting Ukraine's claims about supplying weapons to Russia.
The Kremlin denied media reports Monday that claimed Iran has allegedly sent short-range ballistic missiles to Russia.
Iran and Russia are close allies who have bolstered ties in recent years amid growing tensions with the US.