Russia again denies using Iranian drones "UN has no authority to investigate"

Discussion on On-site Investigation in Ukraine at UN Security Council Meeting

(Photo by Reuters)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] On the 19th (local time), the United States, the United Kingdom, and France officially raised suspicions at a United Nations Security Council meeting that Iran sold suicide drones to Russia. Russia and Iran denied the allegations again, calling them "groundless."

Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, said in a statement that day, "We expressed serious concerns at the UN Security Council meeting about Russia's use of Iranian-made drones," adding, "We have extensive evidence that Russia used Iranian drones to attack Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure."

At the closed-door UN Security Council meeting requested by the U.S., France, and the UK, the agenda addressed Iran's support for Russian weapons. The West claimed that Iran's support for Russian weapons violated Security Council Resolution 2231, which was adopted to guarantee the implementation of the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Vedant Patel, Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, asserted, "There is sufficient evidence that Iranian drones were used in Russia's brutal and deliberate attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure."

Colas de Rivi?re, France's Ambassador to the UN, said, "Experts should be dispatched to Ukraine to verify whether there has been a violation of the resolution."

In response, Russia dismissed the Western claims as "baseless accusations," countering that the U.S. and European countries are lying to pressure Russia and Iran.

Dmitry Polyansky, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, stated, "No evidence supporting the Western claim that Iran sold drones to Russia was presented at the Security Council meeting."

He added, "The West's objective is clear. They are trying to create artificial pretexts to pressure Russia and Iran and simultaneously attack two targets."

He also expressed opposition to UN intervention, saying the UN does not have the authority to send experts to Ukraine to investigate the issue triggered by Western claims.

He said, "UN Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres and his staff should not be involved in any illegal investigations. Otherwise, we will reassess our cooperation with them, which benefits no one."

Deputy Representative Polyansky also argued that Western claims that Iran supplied attack drones to Russia could complicate the ongoing negotiations to restore the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi showed close cooperation against the West by discussing upgrading bilateral relations to a strategic partnership at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit held in Central Asia's Uzbekistan on the 15th and 16th of last month.