Iran reacts to kyiv accusations of drones used by Russia
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Monday that his country would not stay “indifferent” if it were proven that Russia is using Iranian-made drones in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Russia had ordered “about 2,000 Iranian Shahed”kamikaze drones, to support its invasion of Ukraine.
“In the war in Ukraine (…), we are against arming both Russia and Ukraine”Mr. Amir Abdollahian said in video statements released by local media. “We have not provided Russia with weapons or drones to use in the war against Ukraine”he added, repeating previous denials, while acknowledging defense cooperation between Tehran and Moscow.
The Iranian minister reaffirmed his country’s desire to hold direct talks with Ukraine on this subject, stressing that he had sent a message to this effect to the head of diplomacy of the European Union (EU), Josep Borrell. “I told Mr. Borrell that if it became clear to us that Russia used Iranian drones against Ukraine, we will certainly not be indifferent to this issue”he said.
In recent weeks, Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Moscow of using Iranian-made drones in attacks on Ukraine. Iran has rejected these accusations, while the Kremlin has argued that Westerners are seeking to ” lobby “ on Tehran. Last week, the EU and UK announced new sanctions against Iran, targeting three generals and an arms company “responsible for supplying Russia with suicide drones” to bomb Ukraine.
Earlier on Monday, foreign affairs spokesman in Tehran, Nasser Kanani, rejected US allegations that Iranian military personnel were deployed in the Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow, to help the Russians operate the drones launched against energy infrastructure and cities in Ukraine.
“We strongly condemn these allegations which aim to divert public attention from the destructive role [des Etats-Unis] in the war in Ukraine (…) by massively exporting arms and equipment” to kyiv, he said. In September, kyiv decided to drastically reduce its diplomatic relations with Tehran, due to alleged arms deliveries to Moscow.