TEHRAN – The Islamic Republic on Saturday hit out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “anti-Iranian propaganda” after he accused Tehran of supplying Russia with drones.
“The Ukrainian president’s repeat of delusional claims against the Islamic Republic of Iran is in line with the anti-Iranian propaganda and media war aimed at attracting as many arms and financial aid as possible from Western countries,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a statement.
Kanaani slammed Zelensky’s comments as a “blame game” with the aim of deflecting public attention. He said the Ukrainian president has put up a “political show” full of “worthless” and “groundless” allegations.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always stated that it is deeply saddened by the suffering of the people of Ukraine, emphasizes the need to find a political solution to end it as soon as possible, and is ready to assist in its realization,” he said.
Kanaani made it clear that the Islamic Republic has always been against the war in Ukraine and its continuation.
The spokesman repeated Iran’s readiness to discuss the issue with Kiev.
“The Ukrainian side’s avoidance of expert talks with the Iranian side in order to investigate the claims confirms their baselessness and the existence of specific political goals and motives behind such accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Ukraine and Western countries have accused Iran of providing Russia with military drones for use in the war. Both Iran and Russia have repeatedly denied claims that Tehran has provided Moscow with drones to be used in the Ukraine war.
The anti-Iran claims first emerged in July last year, with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan alleging that Washington had received “information” indicating that the Islamic Republic was preparing to provide Russia with “up to several hundred drones, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline” for use in the war in Ukraine.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian in November dismissed media controversy over Iran’s alleged support for Russia in the war, adding, however, that Tehran had provided Moscow with a limited number of drones months before the war in Ukraine.
He also stressed that Iran will not be indifferent if it is proven that Russia has used Iranian drones in the conflict.