US, European allies demand action to end Russia's use of Iranian drones in Ukraine
Iran regime accused of violating UN Security Council resolution on weapon transfers
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A joint statement from the U.S. Representative to the United Nations on behalf of a coalition of European countries has urged the U.N. to investigate Russia’s use of Iranian drones in Ukraine.
"Earlier this month, the United States released further information documenting how Iran has provided Russia with hundreds of one-way attack UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), as well as UAV production-related equipment. Ukraine and the U.K. also submitted evidence to the U.N. of Iranian UAVs recovered by the Ukrainian armed forces," Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters.
"Russia has not only procured hundreds of Mohajer and Shahed series UAVs from Iran in clear violation of Resolution 2231, but it is also now working with Iran to produce these weapons inside Russia," she continued, reading a statement on behalf of the U.S., the U.K., France, Ukraine and Albania.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Russia has been using these UAVs in recent weeks to strike Kyiv, destroy Ukrainian infrastructure, and kill and terrorize Ukrainian civilians. Media reports indicate just this week Russia targeted Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with dozens of Iranian-made drones," she said, adding, "The United Nations must respond to growing calls from the international community to investigate these violations."
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Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on her nomination to be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 27, 2021. (Michael Reynolds/Pool via Reuters)
When confronted with the counterclaim that Secretary-General António Guterres does not have the mandate to launch an investigation, Thomas-Greenfield claimed that Resolution 2231 "does give the Secretary-General a mandate to carry out these investigations, and we have all encouraged the U.N. to move forward on carrying out these investigations immediately."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Russia’s and Iran’s actions violate U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231," Thomas-Greenfield said. "That resolution prohibits all countries, including permanent members of the Security Council, from transferring these types of weapons from Iran, absent advance Security Council approval. Approval was, of course, not given."
Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General, told Fox News Digital, "The Secretariat continues to analyze information received with regard to the alleged transfer of uncrewed aerial vehicles by Iran in a manner inconsistent with paragraph 4 of Resolution 2231 (2015) and will report to the Security Council in due course."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A fragment of a kamikaze drone is seen on the ground in the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv, Ukraine. (Anatolii Siryk/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
"The next report will be discussed at a meeting at the experts’ level on implementation of Resolution 2231 (2015) in late June and then by the Council in a briefing next month," he added.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) first accused the Iranian regime of providing Russia with drones in November 2022, with an initial shipment of 3,500 drones for use in Ukraine.
The U.S. National Security Council (NSC) this month said that the relationship has developed to a stage at which Iran has sent Russia materials to build drone manufacturing plants east of Moscow to produce more drones.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hands with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Sept. 15, 2022. (Sputnik/Alexandr Demyanchuk/Pool via Reuters)
"As of May, Russia received hundreds of one-way attack UAVs, as well as UAV production-related equipment, from Iran," NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said.
Kirby noted that a graphic released at the time "shows how Iranian drones are being transferred to Russia: the drones are built in Iran, shipped across the Caspian Sea, from Amirabad, Iran, to Makhachkala, Russia, and then used operationally by Russian forces against Ukraine."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Iran showed a video of a Shahed drone in flight on Feb. 24, 2023. (IRINN via AP)
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"Russia and Iran’s actions are violations of their obligations under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 by participating in these transfers of drones from Iran to Russia without UN Security Council approval," Kirby said of the situation. "We will continue to work with allies and partners and with the U.N. on ways to hold them accountable."