Iran denies helping either side of Russia, Ukraine war

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Tuesday once again rejected the allegations that it has supplied Russia with drones for use in its invasion of Ukraine, saying Tehran is not providing assistance to either side of the war.

Iran has been accused of supplying Russia with drones for use against Ukraine, leading to a barrage of international sanctions and condemnations. Tehran and Moscow have repeatedly denied the accusations.

“Iran is not providing military assistance to either side of the war and does not see the war as a solution,” Iranian state media cited Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian as saying during a meeting with Martin Griffiths, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, in Tehran.

Amir-Abdollahian added that Tehran supports protecting the sovereignty of all states, including Ukraine.

The statement from the Iranian foreign minister comes days after the Ukrainian air forces said they had destroyed four out of five Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia on Friday evening.

Ukraine has received large amounts of military support and air defenses from its Western allies, making it difficult for Russian warplanes to target the country. Explosive drones have become a cheaper and more efficient weapon for Russia.

The US, UK, and European Union have imposed fresh sanctions on Tehran over the use of Iranian drones in Ukraine. In November, Iran’s foreign ministry admitted that drones had been sent to Russia, but claimed the transaction had preceded the war in Ukraine which broke out in February last year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in December said that Russia received 250 Shahed drones from Iran that have been used primarily to attack Ukraine's energy sector.

The Wall Street Journal on Monday claimed that more than 300,000 artillery shells and one million rounds of ammunition have been transported from Iran to Russia in the past six months.

The United States last week slapped new sanctions on Iran’s drone program, targeting suppliers in China and elsewhere.