Iran denies accusations of illegal cruise missile purchase
Dated 2/7/2006
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Tehran:Iran has denied accusations that it had illegally purchased cruise missiles from Ukraine, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Sunday.
Asefi said Iran had not committed any illegal actions and had not purchased any such missiles.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Friday that Ukrainian company Progress had supplied six Soviet Kh-55 Granat missiles (NATO reporting name AS-15 Kent) with nuclear capacity to China and another six missiles to Iran, adding that the authorities had been informed and an investigation started.
"This is the grossest violation of the control regime over missile technologies," Ivanov said, adding that it was the sole violation of the non-proliferation regime in the post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said the country had not violated the missile technology control regime, and proposed that the sides discuss Russia's concerns bilaterally in compliance with international procedures.
