Iran denies ‘biased’ drone claims, calls for talks with Ukraine

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Tuesday once again denied that it was sending drones to Russia to use in its war in Ukraine and called for dialogue with Kyiv to clarify the claims it labeled as “biased.”

Ukraine has accused Russia of using Iranian drones in its recent devastating attacks on major Ukrainian cities. The Kremlin has said it has no information on Iranian-made drones being used in the war. Tehran has repeatedly denied sending armed drones to Moscow.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani called the claims that it was sending armed drones to Moscow “biased” and “based on false information,” adding that Tehran is ready for dialogue and negotiations with Kyiv to clarify the claims.

Kanaani stressed that Iran’s supports and end to the war in Ukraine, calling for the country’s sovereignty to be respected according to international law.

While Iranian officials deny Iranian drones being used in Ukraine, social media accounts affiliated to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) constantly post footage showing their weapons being used in Ukraine. 

Earlier on Tuesday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a video posted on Facebook that he had submitted a proposal to Ukraine’s president to cut all diplomatic ties with Iran.  A day prior, he had called on the European Union (EU) to slam sanctions on Tehran.

“Providing weapons to wage a war of aggression in Ukraine and kill Ukrainian citizens makes Iran complicit in the crime of aggression, war crimes and terrorist acts of Russia against Ukraine,” read a statement from Ukraine’s foreign ministry.

Regarding Kuleba’s proposal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that an appropriate reaction would be taken to the use of Iranian armed drones. 

An assessment by the US state department concluded that the Shahed-136, Iranian-made suicide drones, were used in a Russian attack targeting the Ukrainian capital on Monday. White House spokesperson Karinne Jean-Pierre accused Iran of lying when denying the use of Iranian drones in Ukraine.

“Iran is considering selling still more destructive weapons to support an invasion they claim to oppose,” Jean-Pierre stated. 

The US has also condemned the use of Iranian-made drones in Ukraine. “It is our belief that these UAVs that were transferred from Iran to Russia and used by Russia in Ukraine are among the weapons that would remain embargoed under [UN Security Council Resolution] 2231," Vedant Patel, deputy spokesperson for the US State Department told reporters on Monday. 

The resolution, which endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal, imposes restrictions until October 2023 on Iranian exports related to ballistic missiles. The US, France, and UK warned that a potential sale of missiles from Iran to Russia would breach the nuclear deal. 

All eyes on Iran 

The condemnation by Ukraine and its western allies for the reported use of Iranian suicide drones in Ukraine is the latest wave of international pressure on Iran amid a violent crackdown on protests at home, and a lack of progress in nuclear negotiations. 

Nationwide protests were sparked by the death of a young Kurdish woman while in the custody of Iran’s morality police on September 16. At least 215 people have been killed in an excessively violent response by Iranian authorities to the demonstrations, according to Oslo-based Iran Human Rights. 

Rallies have been held across the world in solidarity of the protests in Iran, with the US and the EU slamming new sanctions on Tehran for its crackdown. 

Iran has blamed the US, Israel, and Kurdish opposition groups for being behind the demonstrations. In an attempt to divert attention away from the protests, Iran fired a barrage of missiles and suicide drones at the Kurdistan Region where the opposition groups are based last month, killing at least 16 people, including a pregnant woman and her baby. The same model of suicide drones used in Ukraine were also fired at the Region. 

Recent developments have also slowed down the progress made towards reviving the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 

“It is a pity because we were very very close … the world would be much more secure[with the JCPOA],” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrel said, adding that the negotiations between Iran and the West are not expected to resume anytime soon.