Iranian Foreign Minister Addresses Alleged Use of Iran-Made Drones in Russian Special Op in Ukraine

Back in July, the US accused Tehran of sending weapons to Moscow for the special operation in Ukraine - an allegation that both Russia and Iran denied.

"Our relations with Russia are based on neighborliness and mutual interests. I would like to emphasize here the fuss made by some Western countries that Iran has provided Russia with missiles and drones, claims about the missile part are completely wrong and the drone part is correct," Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said, stressing that a small number of UAVs were delivered months before the launch of the special op.

The minister added that he had held phone talks with Kiev, saying that if there is any documented evidence about Russia using the drones in the operation, Ukraine should provide it to the Islamic Republic for further examination.

He noted that the Iranian and Ukrainian delegations should have met in Europe several weeks ago, however, Ukraine decided not to attend in the very last moment, because the US, and European countries, especially Germany, warned Kiev against it.

Amir-Abdollahian also stated that Kiev should be careful to avoid being influenced by certain "extreme" European politicians.

The allegation that Russia had been using combat drones from Iran in the military op was voiced by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in July, and then repeated by the press. Tehran blasted the "disappointing" claims as disinformation being pushed as part of a political campaign against Russia and the Islamic Republic.

At the same time, Moscow noted that the allegations were fake, explaining that Western officials are inventing a pretext out of thin air in order to stir up a scandal.