Informed Source Says Iran Likely to Change Strategy on Ukraine War After Kiev’s Comments on Drone Strike

Speaking to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) outlet, Nour News, the unnamed source said hostile remarks by President Zelensky’s aide can lead to “different reactions” from Tehran.

“Ukraine’s insistence on threatening Iran’s national security can pave the way for mulling a change in the positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the war in Ukraine and adopting a new approach proportionate to the behavior of the Kiev government,” the source added.

“If the hostile statements of Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Ukrainian president, against Iran are not corrected by the country’s authorities, they can lead to different reactions by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the source noted.

The Iranian Defense Ministry on Sunday announced that the country’s air defense units had thwarted a drone strike on a military workshop in Isfahan. Tehran confirmed that the unsuccessful raid did not cause any loss of life and only led to minor damage to the roof of a workshop.

Podolyak has expressed his joy over the attack. The top official stated that “Ukraine did warn you”. Other Ukrainian officials have yet to publicly expand on his comments.

On Monday, Tehran summoned the charge d’affaires of Kiev to explain Podolyak’s remarks on Ukraine’s possible involvement in the strike. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kana’ani has also called on the Ukrainian government to give an official and clear explanation about his comments. The Iranian diplomat stressed that Tehran reserves the legitimate and legal right to respond in kind to any party involved in acts that would violate international law.

Podolyak’s remarks come as a US official told Reuters that Israel appears to have been behind the drone attack.

Kiev and its Western allies have repeatedly claimed that Tehran has provided Russia with drones to be used in the war in Ukraine.

Iranian officials have repeatedly rejected claims about Tehran’s arms sales to Russia to be used in the ongoing war against Ukraine, stressing such allegations are aimed at legitimizing the West’s military assistance to Kiev.

They reiterated that Tehran will not help either side in the Russia-Ukraine crisis, and cautioned that arming Moscow or Kyiv will prolong the conflict between the two neighbors.

In Late February, President Vladimir Putin stated in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

The US, the EU, the UK and a number of other states have imposed sanctions against Russian legal entities and individuals. They also increased supplies of weapons to the Ukrainian authorities. Russia has officially become the most sanctioned country in the world, surpassing Iran, Syria and North Korea, after launching a military operation against Ukraine.

Back in September, Iranian Presdient Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi cautioned that the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a serious threat to the stability and security of nations.

The Iranian president described NATO’s expansionist policies as one of the causes of insecurity in different parts of the world and stated, “As foreign policy thinkers, advise politicians and statesmen so that the people of different parts of the world do not bear the cost of their mistakes”.