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EU imposes sanctions on Iran over allegations of drone delivery to Russia

Shahed 136 Iranian Drone. (File)

Iran has always emphasized that all UN members must fully respect the principles enshrined in the UN Charter as well as applicable international law, including sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.

EU has imposed fresh sanctions on Iran over the issue.

Iran has doubled down on its earlier stance that it has not supplied weapons to Russia to be used against Ukraine. Foreign Ministry officials say those claims are untrue and based on false information. Tehran says the accusations are part of a propaganda campaign by the West to stoke tensions with Iran.

The accusations against Iran have been leveled by Ukraine and its Western backers. They say Russia has been using Iranian made drones to strike Ukrainian cities in recent weeks. The Kremlin has also roundly denied the accusation, saying it is using Russian made weapons in its strikes.

Some Western media outlets have cited US security officials as saying that more Iranian drones, as well as missiles, are to be shipped to Russia. While the Pentagon says it cannot confirm those reports, however, it says it will take steps to make the sale of Iranian drones harder. Ukraine has also threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Iran.

But Tehran says it holds a neutral stance on the conflict and believes dialogue is the best way to end the war.

Iran has invariably stressed the need for respect for various countries sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, including Ukraine, based on the principles of the United Nations Charter.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has taken a clear and consistent position on the situation in Ukraine which has been pronounced since the start of the conflict.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has always emphasized that all UN members must fully respect the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, as well as applicable international law.

Saeid Iravani, Iranian UN Ambassador

The accusations against Iran come amid intensifying tensions at war fronts in Ukraine. Civilians and pro Russian officials are evacuating from the main city in the Kherson region just as Ukrainian forces are pushing to take back the area from Russia. Over 60,000 people will be evacuated within the next six days.

The anti Iran claims first emerged in July. At the time US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, alleged that Washington had received "information indicating that Iran was preparing to provide Russia with up to several 100 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, including weapons capable UAVs, on an expedited timeline.

Flying at low altitude, these unmanned aircraft can evade traditional air defense systems before dive bombing their targets.

The distinctive delta wing design of the drones has the Ukrainian and Western officials to claim that they are in Iranian Shahed 136 UAVs. These so called Kamikaze drones have sparked panic in Ukraine.

The United States, Britain and France, were planning to raise the claim during a closed door UN Security Council meeting.

They accuse Iran of violating a UN Security Council resolution that had placed an arms embargo on Iran, which expired in 2020, despite efforts by former US President Donald Trump to renew it.

Iran categorically rejected unfounded and unsubstantiated claims that Iran has transferred UAVs for the use of the conflict in Ukraine. It is disappointing that to pursue these political agenda these states are trying to launch a disinformation campaign against Iran.

Saeid Iravani, Iranian UN Ambassador

So dear colleagues today we have observed another round of the disinformation campaign from the Security Council by the Western delegations, as they raised in the council the issue of the UAVs allegedly used by Russia in Ukraine. The aim of our Western colleagues is clear; they attempt to hit two targets at once, inventing an artificial pretext to put pressure on Russia and on Iran.

Dmitry Polyanshiy, Russia’s Deputy Ambassador

The accusations come amid continued NATO military support for Ukraine. The West is now under fire for fanning the flames of war by sending more and more military hardware to Kyiv.

It is now believed that the accusations made against Iran are part of a larger media campaign against the Islamic Republic.

The West, led by the United States, has been trying to put Iran under pressure by supporting the rioters in Iran during the recent tensions. They imposed a series of sanctions on Iranian officials over human rights allegations. However, they failed to force their will on Iran.

 


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