‘They should prove it’ – Raisi denies Ukrainian allegations of Iranian drones used by Russia in conflict

« Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi requested that Ukrainian authorities provide evidence to support their allegations that Tehran had sent drones to Russia during the conflict, saying that the relationship between Moscow and Tehran dates back to war in Ukraine.
« A meeting was held in Oman, and it was agreed that Ukrainians provide their evidence, and in that meeting, they [the Ukrainian side] couldn’t prove that Iran sent drones to Russia during the war. We yet again declare that if they [Ukrainians] have any evidence that shows Iran sent weapons or drones to Russia, provide it, and we said that we would analyze it, » Raisi said at a meeting with media companies on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
He also declared that Tehran is ready to act as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine to bring an end to the ongoing conflict, urging Washington to ‘take the stance of ending the war’ instead of sending weapons to the Ukrainian army.
« Why do they see their profit in continuing the war and in selling weapons to Ukraine nowadays? People who are unsatisfied about the Ukrainian war can make a collective effort to end the war, and we absolutely support this, » he affirmed.
According to local media, the Iranian government first denied Iran’s drone deliveries to Russia but later admitted the supplies, claiming they were sent before the war against Ukraine. The United States and NATO allies have condemned Iranian drone supplies to Russia.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow. »



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