Iran hits back at Ukraine’s Zelensky over drone claims

Iran’s Foreign Ministry says its patience with Kyiv is wearing thin, pushing back against accusations by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Tehran has supplied drones to bolster Russia’s war effort.

“Mr. Zelensky should realize that Iran’s strategic patience will not be unlimited towards unfounded accusations,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani says in a statement carried by Iranian state media.

In a speech to Congress yesterday, Zelensky said Iran was Russia’s partner in its “genocidal policy.”

“Iranian deadly drones sent to Russia in the hundreds became a threat to our critical infrastructure. That is how one terrorist has found the other,” he said.

Ukraine and Western powers, as well as Israel, have repeatedly accused Russia of using Iranian drones to attack civilians and power plants in Ukraine, a charge that both Moscow and Tehran have denied.

“Once again we emphasize that the Islamic Republic of Iran has not exported any military equipment to any party for use in the Ukraine war,” Kanaani says.

He also warns Zelensky against allying with Washington.

“Mr. Zelensky had better learn lessons from the fate of certain leaders of countries that relied upon support from the US,” he says.