Ukraine Demands Liquidation of Iranian Arms Factories to Prevent Arming Russia

A top aide to Ukraine’s president has demanded the “liquidation” of Iranian factories that manufacture drones and missiles and the arrest of suppliers of those weapons in Kyiv’s strongest move yet to counter Iranian abuses.

Kiev has accused Tehran of planning to supply more weapons to Russia, especially drones used by the Russian army to strike energy sites.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak wrote on Twitter on Saturday that Iran “blatantly insults… International Sanctions,” and called for the destruction of Iran’s weapons factories in response.

Kiev accused Tehran of supplying Moscow with up to 1,700 Shahed-136 drones capable of carrying munitions. It says Russia has used it to strike targets in Ukraine since September while Iran denies the charges.

The head of Ukraine’s intelligence service said in an interview published Friday that Russia has already fired some 540 drones at military and energy targets in Ukraine.

Last September, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced in a statement that “in response to Russia’s use of Iranian drones in the attack on Ukraine, Kiev decided to withdraw the credentials of the Iranian ambassador.”

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has also decided to drastically cut the staff of the Iranian embassy in the capital Kyiv.

Although Iran denied in the early months of the war that it was involved in supplying Russian drones, it later officially acknowledged supplying Russia with drones and in return denied that its purpose was to carry out attacks on Kyiv, but this apparently did not convince the Ukrainian and Western sides.

After the European Union decided to impose severe sanctions on Tehran because of Russia’s armament, Tehran did not hide its intentions in supporting the Russian army. Russian military officials paid visits to Iranian military barracks to see Iranian weapons, especially in the field of drones.

Despite the talk of the inefficiency of the Iranian drones compared to their Turkish counterparts, the Russian army is the one who is best placed to buy them for their low price and not rely on expensive cruise missiles.

Israel, which has good relations with the Ukrainian side, has repeatedly warned against Iran’s role in threatening the security of Eastern Europe through its involvement in perpetuating the conflict through armaments.

Iran watchers say Ukraine has already become a battleground between Iran and Israel where various weapons are being tested.

In an attempt to avoid a crisis with Russia, Israel has repeatedly refused requests from Ukraine to supply it with heavy weapons, including air defense systems and military equipment. At the same time, it has refrained from agreeing to impose economic sanctions on Russia, but with Iran engaging in support of the Russian army, it is not possible that Israel has crossed some red lines by providing military support to the Ukrainian army.