The United States, France, and Britain claimed that Iran violated UN arms prohibitions on Iran by allegedly selling drones to Russia.
UNITED NATIONS: Russia warned against investigating claimed drone strikes in Ukraine by Iran, joining Tehran in rejecting the country as the source of the weapons as the European Union planned further penalties.
A secret Security Council meeting was held by the US, France, and UK in response to the suspected sale of drones to Russia, which they said violated UN arms embargoes on Iran.
The Shahed-136s, low-cost drones that explode upon landing and are suspected of being responsible for five fatalities and the destruction of civilian infrastructure in the Ukrainia
n capital Kyiv, were allegedly supplied by Iran, according to claims made by both the European Union and the United States.
Ukraine, which has taken steps to sever diplomatic ties with Tehran, claims that in little more than a month, its military has shot down more than 220 Iranian drones, and images have emerged that appear to have an Iranian connection.
Dmitry Polyanskiy, a Russian diplomat, criticised the “baseless charges and conspiracy theories,” claiming proof that the drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, were written with the Russian term for geraniums.
In response to a question from a reporter outside the Security Council, Polyanskiy said, “The UAVs employed by the Russian army in Ukraine are built in Russia.
You should not undervalue the Russian drone industry’s technological prowess, in my opinion.
But he issued a warning against any UN investigation taking place in Ukraine as part of the implementation of the current sanctions on Iran.
“Since the team is not a member of the sanctions committee, it lacks the authority to carry out investigations. Consequently, this would be utterly political and unprofessional “added he.
We will have to reevaluate our work with them, which is scarcely in anyone’s interest, if the UN Secretariat or Secretary-General Antonio Guterres still move forward, Polyanskiy added.
Iran´s UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, also rejected the “unfounded and unsubstantiated claims” on the drone transfers and said that Tehran, which has abstained in votes on the Ukraine war, wanted a “peaceful resolution” of the war.
The alleged arms transfers come as Iran is facing growing pressure over its crackdown on the biggest protests in years, which were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old detained by the clerical state´s notorious “morality police.”
The purported arms shipments occur at a time when Iran is coming under increasing fire for its handling of the largest protests in years, which were started by the passing of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old arrested by the clerical state’s renowned “morality police,” who was killed.
Prior to a session on Thursday in Brussels, the European Union is anticipated to agree sanctions regarding drones.
According to a list obtained by AFP, the 27-nation bloc intended to impose sanctions on three senior military figures, including General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, Iran’s army chief of staff, and drone manufacturer Shahed Aviation Industries, an aerospace firm affiliated with the potent Revolutionary Guards
Josep Borrell’s spokeswoman Nabila Massrali said the EU had “gathered our own information” and was preparing “a clear, rapid and robust EU response.”
The drones allegedly broke UN Security Council Resolution 2231 of 2015, which approved a now-defunct nuclear agreement, according to the United States.
Despite efforts by the then-US administration of Donald Trump, the resolution’s restriction on Iran’s sales of conventional weapons expires in 2020.
Resolution 2231 continues to forbid any transfers that could aid nuclear-capable ballistic missiles through October 2023, notwithstanding the fact that the United States has not specified the alleged infringement.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US has “abundant evidence” of Iranian drone shipments to Russia even “as Iran continues to lie” about the transfers. Price said the US and its allies “will not hesitate to use our sanctions” on any nation involved in the transfers.
Iran’s crackdown on protesters has already led to new Western sanctions over human rights and put on the back burner efforts by US President Joe Biden to restore the 2015 nuclear deal, from which Trump pulled the United States.
Iran’s crackdown on protesters has already resulted in new Western sanctions over human rights, and efforts by US President Joe Biden to reinstate the 2015 nuclear deal—from which Trump withdrew the United States in 2020—have been delayed as a result. Despite efforts by the US to reverse these developments,
The Iranian drones have drawn attention from Western authorities as proof that Russia, historically one of the world’s top arms exporters, has seen its stockpile severely weakened by battlefield losses.
The Iranian drones have reportedly malfunctioned regularly, according to intelligence released by the US, and Russia has reportedly turned to North Korea while China has reportedly rejected requests to send weapons.
During a trip to Washington, Hanno Pevkur, the defence minister of Estonia, claimed that Russia was reliant on drones due to a shortage of supplies and Ukraine’s aerial achievements.
a Russian “Recognize that the Ukrainian side has air defence in place, therefore they do not now have the upper hand in the air. They’ve already lost a lot of aircraft “Pevkur informed journalists.
