The supply of Iranian drones to Russia, which is using them in its war against Ukraine, has sparked tensions in Iran, with prominent conservative cleric and newspaper editor Masih Mohajeri saying Iran should condemn the Kremlin for starting this war, and it should have told him it should not rights to use UAVs during conflict, The Guardian reports.

Iran’s former ambassador to Moscow also suggested that the Foreign Ministry was unaware of the movements of the Kremlin and the Iranian military.

Iran has denied for more than two months that it has sold drones to Russia, despite using them to target power plants and civilian infrastructure, but said over the weekend that it had delivered a small number of drones before the war, saying it had been rejected by the U.S. and Ukraine.

The tension over the drones reflects a broader foreign policy debate in Tehran about the risks of developing close ties with Moscow. It is also unusual in that criticism of the Iranian government is led by a conservative cleric and newspaper editor.

In statements picked up by other Iranian newspapers, Masih Mohajeri, writing on the front page of the Jomhouri-e-Islami newspaper, emphasized three things the government should do: Advise Russia to abide by international rules that prohibit invasion of other countries’ territory. countries; to tell Russia at the beginning of the war that it has no right to use drones provided by Iran in Ukraine; maintain closer relations with the invading country.

Addressing Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, he added: “After the start of the war in Ukraine, why did you not inform Russia that it had no right to use Iranian drones in the war in Ukraine? Also, why didn’t you openly condemn Russia for starting the war and why didn’t you make an effort to mediate between the two sides to end this evil war?”

He said Iran could play that role without damaging its relationship with Russia.

Iran claims it sent small number of drones to Russia before war, Kyiv accuses it of lying

Over the weekend, Abdollahian ended weeks of Iranian delay over the drones by admitting — sitting next to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin on the sidelines of an international conference — that it had provided a small number of drones before the war. According to him, if Ukraine proves that its drones are used in war, Iran will not remain indifferent.

Ukraine believes that Moscow purchased 2,400 drones from Iran, including the Shahed-136 kamikaze drone.

In his article, Mohajeri called the foreign minister’s change of position a “good sign.” “You still have time to change the policy regarding the war in Ukraine,” he said. “You should not put all your eggs in the Russian basket. This method is contrary to the “neither east nor west” policy, which is the backbone of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

He added: “Iran could, at least during the war in Ukraine, first negotiate with both sides by forming a mediation committee to get them to agree to a ceasefire and an end to the war. Even in the first days of the war, Tehran could tell Moscow that it had no right to use drones supplied by Iran in the war with Ukraine.”

Robert Malley, the US special representative for Iran, rejected Iran’s claims that the drones had been sent to war. “The evidence is clear: drones sold to Russia are being used against the civilian population of Ukraine. Perhaps Iran’s leaders thought they could avoid the consequences of covertly supporting Russia’s brutal aggression, but they failed to do so.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi accused Iran of lying about sending a limited number of drones to Russia.

“If Iran continues to lie about the obvious, it means that the world will make even more efforts to investigate the terrorist cooperation between the Russian and Iranian regimes and the fact that Russia pays Iran for such cooperation,” Reuters quoted the president of Ukraine as saying. .

Iran’s former ambassador to Moscow, Nematolla Izadi, said there was no proper cooperation between the military and diplomatic wings of the Iranian state, and that the entire move took place without the knowledge of the foreign ministry.

It appears that part of the government has found it profitable to sell drones to Moscow for use in the war, and, Izadi said, “it appears that we have succumbed to a deceptive Russian operation that, in my view, does not serve our country.” interests”.

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