Iran condemns calls to investigate supply of suicide drones to Russia
Ample photographic and video evidence proves that Iran has supplied the drones to Russia, and that its denials are false.
Read also: Rada condemns Iran for supplying Russia with weapons and supporting it in war against Ukraine
However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that the call for an investigation was “false and baseless” and that it was “strongly rejected and condemned.”
“The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in its pursuit to protect its national interest and to secure the rights of the noble Iranian people, reserves the right to respond to any irresponsible action,” Kanaani said.
In addition, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi sharply responded to the accusations. According to him, Iran today is “a popular exporter of weapons.”
Read also: Ukrainian air defenses shoot down 10 Iranian Shahed-136 suicide drones in Mykolaiv Oblast overnight
Iran is thought to have exported more than 1,000 of the drones which have been used by Russia to attack Ukrainian cities since mid-September.
Earlier, the United Kingdom, France and Germany called on the UN to investigate Russia's use of Iranian kamikaze drones to attack Ukraine, which may be a violation of a UN Security Council resolution.
Russia uses kamikaze drones to attack Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure. Some of them are launched from the territory of Belarus.
On Oct. 17, Russia attacked Kyiv with the Iranian-made suicide drones. After the first attack, a fire started in a non-residential building, and several buildings were damaged.
The Iranian kamikaze drones hit a residential building, which triggered an explosion that killed five people and injured four others. Among the dead were a six-month pregnant woman and her husband.
Read also: Residential buildings hit by Iranian-made drones — photo report
Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klychko said that on the morning of Oct. 17, 28 suicide drones flew towards the capital, most of which were shot down. Five explosions were recorded in Kyiv.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called on Tehran to immediately stop supplying weapons to Russia and warned of responsibility. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba initiated the severance of diplomatic relations with Iran.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said that they allegedly had nothing to do with the supply of Shahed-136 suicide drones to Russia. They also declared their readiness to negotiate with Ukraine to “refute the accusations.”
Read also: Iran’s denial of supplying Russia with drones is a lie
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Oct. 11 that, according to intelligence, Russia had ordered 2,400 Shahed kamikaze drones from Iran. After the first downing of Iranian UAVs, Ukraine did not extend the accreditation of the Iranian ambassador and reduced the number of employees at the Iranian embassy to several people.
Earlier, The Washington Post, citing U.S. officials, reported that Iran had secretly agreed to provide Russia with not only attack drones, but also surface-to-surface ballistic missiles for the war against Ukraine.
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
