Tehran 'has not & will never' provide weapons to Russia to be used in Ukraine, avers Iran

In response to the reports that Russia has been using Iranian weapons in Ukraine, Iran has asserted that it "has not and will not" provide Russia with weaponry for using it in the war. The denial, which was reportedly expressed in a telephonic conversation between the foreign ministers of Iran and Portugal on Friday, is in reaction to claims made by Ukraine and United States intelligence agencies that Russia is employing "kamikaze drones" built in Iran in its strikes on Ukrainian land, CNN reported.  

According to the Iranian government, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the country's foreign minister, reiterated in the phone call that Tehran "has not and will not" supply any weapons to be used in the conflict in Ukraine. Amir-Abdollahian further said, “We believe that the arming of each side of the crisis will prolong the war, so we have not considered and do not consider war to be the right way either in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria or Yemen,” citing an Iranian readout of the call."

In addition to this, the Portuguese government noted that Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho "stressed the need for the Iranian authorities to ensure that this equipment is not supplied to Russia". He even voiced concern about the “recently reported evidence on the use of Iranian drones by the Russian Federation in Ukrainian territory” as per CNN.  

Ukraine attacked with Iranian drones: Reports

As per the media reports, early on Thursday, Iranian-made kamikaze drones attacked Kyiv, prompting emergency crews to scramble there to evacuate residents. Oleksiy Kuleba, the regional governor of Kyiv, provided the information through his official Telegram channel. He said, “We have attacks on one of the communities of the region. Previously - an attack of kamikaze drones. Rescuers are already working".  

Drone attacks on significant infrastructure facilities were also reported by the deputy head of president Zelenskyy's administration, Kyrylo Tymoshenko.  

Meanwhile, France has stated that providing Iranian drones to Russia to assist Moscow in the Russia-Ukraine war is a breach of the resolution of the UN Security Council. Iran International English reported that the French foreign minister made these remarks. According to Anne-Claire Legendre, a spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry, Paris has taken note of "a great deal of information that reports the use of Iranian drones by the Russian armed forces in Ukraine, in bombardments that were aimed at civilian targets." 

Since Russia began its aggressive invasion of Ukraine in late February, drones have been a crucial factor in the fight, but their deployment has escalated since the summer when the US and Kyiv claim Moscow bought the drones from Iran. 

Only hours after the conversation between the foreign ministers, the Ukrainian military asserted on Saturday that the city of Zaporizhzhia had been struck by four kamikaze drone strikes overnight.  

Kamikaze drones, which are also known as suicide drones, are a sort of airborne weapon system. They are referred to as loitering munition because they may linger for a while in an area that has been flagged as a prospective target before striking when an enemy asset is found. They are lightweight, portable, and simple to launch, but their main benefit is that they can be shot from a distance and are undetectable. 

(Image: AP)