Some states attempting to create a severe hostile media atmosphere: Iran

Tehran: Iran has said that some states were attempting to create a severe hostile media atmosphere against the Islamic Republic of Iran, by making various claims, one of which is the baseless claim of sending Iran-made drones to the Russian Federation for use in the Ukraine war.

The principled position of the Islamic Republic of Iran in this regard is quite clear which is to firmly oppose the war while emphasizing on addressing the root causes of the conflict, said a statement by the Iranian foreign ministry.

From Iran’s point of view, the root causes of the conflict undoubtedly lie in the expansionist and interventionist approach of the United States and NATO, which seriously jeopardize the independence and authority of the other states, it added.

Based on the said policy the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly rejects the false claim of delivering drones to Russia for use in the Ukraine war. It has not sent any drones or weapons to the Russian Federation to be used in the Ukraine war. The authorities of the Russian Federation have also announced and emphasized that the weapons used in the Ukraine war are Russian-made. It is worth mentioning that Tehran-Moscow defense cooperation started long ago and has continued along with other collaborations, it said.

The Islamic Republic of Iran endeavors to stop the war in Ukraine through political means, in the meantime it reiterates that the Europeans should address the war based on a realistic approach. Iran believes that provocative actions that had been taken by the US and some European states created conditions that led to the war in Ukraine. Nevertheless, despite showing such harmful and irresponsible behavior, they are now accusing Iran of supporting one side of the conflict by circulating false information and fabricated evidence, the statement said.

As the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic of Iran had mentioned in a telephone conversation with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Iran was ready to dispatch a group of military experts to hold technical discussions with the Ukrainian military experts in an agreed venue to examine any evidence on the use of Iranian drones, if any. If expert groups conclude that Russia has used Iranian drones in the Ukraine war, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not remain indifferent to this issue. The Islamic Republic of Iran has conveyed its readiness to hold such a technical meeting through diplomatic channels, it added.

As a matter of fact subsequent to Ukraine claims that Russia is using Iran’s drones against Ukraine, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation announced their readiness to hold a joint expert meeting with the Ukrainian experts to examine the alleged evidence and documents. Ukraine initially agreed and a group of Iranian diplomats and experts was dispatched to Poland to hold the agreed joint expert meeting in Warsaw however hours before the meeting, the Ukrainian side was banned from attending the meeting due to pressures from the United States and the European, the statement said.