Iran rejects ‘illegal’ UN probe into alleged use of its drones in Ukraine

The United States and its European allies have in recent months accused Iran of providing Russia with drones to be used in the war in Ukraine.

The anti-Iran claims first emerged in July, with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan alleging that Washington had received “information” indicating that the Islamic Republic was preparing to provide Russia with “up to several hundred drones, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline” for use in the war in Ukraine.

Both Iran and Russia have in the past vehemently denied the allegations.

Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations Amir Saeed Iravani on Monday sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President of the Security Council Michel Xavier Biang and Facilitator for the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015) Fergal Mythen regarding the allegations, saying the “resolution itself provides no legal basis for such an investigation.”

“Iran cautions the Secretariat against conducting such an illegal investigation or engaging in any activity that advances and implements the Western States’ ‘instructions’ and urges the secretary general to prevent the conduct of any such flawed tasks by the Secretariat [and] refrain from reporting on such irrelevant requests and unsubstantiated claims in his subsequent report on the implementation of Resolution 2231,” Iravani said.

He categorically rejected all accusations against Iran contained in the letters sent by the E3 – France, Germany, and Britain – and Northern Ireland to the president of the Security Council as well as those raised by its certain members and non-members.

“It is ironic that these countries, particularly the three permanent members of the Security Council, accuse Iran of violating a specific paragraph of Security Council Resolution 2231, while they continue to be in flagrant violation of all their explicit legal obligations under that same resolution,” he said.

He also pointed out that the United States’ illegal withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is in material breach of the peremptory norms of international law, the UN Charter and Security Council Resolution 2231.

“The authors of the aforesaid letters have desperately made every effort, including through disseminating unsubstantiated, undocumented, and erroneous information, raising inaccurate assumptions as well as resorting to totally flawed, arbitrary, and misleading interpretations of Security Council Resolution 2231, to establish an entirely artificial linkage between that resolution and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine so as to seemingly justify their unfounded claims against my country,” the Iranian envoy wrote.

He argued that the wording, references, and requests in the aforementioned letters, even in the letter from Ukraine’s permanent representative, are “nearly identical, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a cunningly orchestrated attempt to advance the authors’ political agenda.”

He also emphasized that the restrictions specified in Resolution 2231 “officially terminated” on October 18, 2020, saying, “Since then, none of Iran’s ‘supply, sale, or transfer of arms or related material’ to other countries fall within Resolution 2231.”

Iravani further said any misuse of the functions described in Resolution 2231 for conducting the so-called “investigation” requested would be “illegal and in clear violation of the Secretariat’s mandate,” adding, “Furthermore, any findings resulting from such an illegal investigation would be null and void.”

Meanwhile, the anti-Iran allegations come while the United States and its European allies have since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine been providing Kiev with an assortment of arms and weapons, fanning the flames of war in the ex-Soviet republic.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Monday that the country is ready to discuss Western countries’ allegations about exporting drones to Russia in a joint session with Ukrainian officials.

In response to Western countries’ claims about Iran selling drones and other military equipment to Russia to be used against Ukraine, he said, “We have not sold and will not sell any weapons and drones to be used in the war against Ukraine, and cooperation between Iran and Russia will continue without having anything to do with the Ukraine war.”