October 2022 Moscow trip and the reported deal to send missiles and drones to Russia
Reuters, citing Iranian officials and diplomats, reported that a deal to supply Russia with surface-to-surface missiles and more drones was agreed during then First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber's October 6, 2022 visit to Moscow. Iran's foreign ministry denied sending drones for the Ukraine war, but weeks later admitted it had shipped a small number to Russia before the invasion.
Editorial timeline of public reporting, not a legal finding.
- Moscow meeting with Russia's prime minister and remarks on NATO - According to the official transcript on the Russian government website, Mokhber met Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on October 6, 2022 on the sidelines of the Caspian Economic Forum. In the retranslated text he said Iran had 'supported Russia at international venues', called NATO's eastward expansion 'dangerous' and said 'we are against killing, but we believe this was triggered by NATO's presence in the region'. Mikhail Mishustin's meeting with First Vice President of Iran Mohammad Mokhber (6 October 2022)
- Iran's foreign ministry denies supplying drones for the Ukraine war - Reuters reported on October 17, 2022 that Iran's foreign ministry said Iran had not provided Russia with drones for use in Ukraine. Iran says it has not provided Russia with drones for use in Ukraine
- Reuters exclusive ties the deal to Mokhber's Moscow trip - Reuters, citing two senior Iranian officials and two Iranian diplomats, reported that a deal to send Russia Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar surface-to-surface missiles and more drones was agreed on October 6 when Mokhber, two senior Revolutionary Guards officials and a Supreme National Security Council official visited Moscow. A Western official confirmed it; the Pentagon said it could not confirm. The Guardian and Radio Farda carried the report. Exclusive: Iran agrees to ship missiles, more drones to Russia
- Foreign minister admits drones were shipped to Russia before the war - Reuters and AP reported that on November 5, 2022 Iran's then foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian acknowledged for the first time that Iran had sent a small number of drones to Russia months before the invasion of Ukraine, while denying supplies during the war. Iran says it shipped drones to Russia before Ukraine war
- His Russia trip recalled after he became acting president - After Mokhber was named acting president, Forbes wrote that in 2022 he traveled to Russia to oversee the sale of Iranian-made Shahed drones and ballistic missiles to the Russian military, citing Reuters' reporting at the time. Who Is Mohammad Mokhber? Iran's New Acting President Was Investment Leader Once Sanctioned By U.S. And E.U.