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| Iran Admits it has Sent Combat Drones to Russia |
Tehran - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian for the first time admitted that his country had supplied Russia with drones. However, he insisted that the transfer took place before Moscow's invasion of Kiev. Amirabdollahian's comments come after months of confusing messages from Iran about arms shipments.
Meanwhile, some evidence was found of Russia's use of Iranian drones to attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure and civilian targets. "We gave a limited number of drones to Russia a few months before the Ukraine war," Amirabdollahian told reporters after the meeting in Tehran.
Previously, Iranian officials have denied arming Russia in its war in Ukraine. Earlier this week, Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani called the accusations "completely baseless" and reiterated Iran's position of neutrality in the war. The United States and its Western allies on the Security Council have asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to investigate whether Russia has used Iranian drones to attack civilians in Ukraine.
Even so, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has vaguely boasted of providing drones to major world powers. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has praised the drone's efficacy and ridiculed the West for its dangers. During a state-backed demonstration to mark the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy on Friday, crowds waved triangular drone placards as national pride.
As he acknowledged the delivery, Amirabdollahian claimed on Saturday that Iran was unaware of the use of drones in Ukraine. He said Iran remains committed to ending the conflict. "If (Ukraine) have documents in their possession that Russia is using Iranian drones in Ukraine, they have to give them to us," he said. "If it is proven to us that Russia is using Iranian drones in the war against Ukraine, we will not be indifferent to this issue," he continued.