FM Underlines Iran’s Firm Opposition to Continuation of Russia-Ukraine War

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian once again underscored Tehran’s strong opposition to the continuation of the war between Russia and Ukraine, and said that his country is ready to play an active role to bring an end to the the 13-month-long war between the two neighbors.

Amir Abdollahian made the remarks during a telephone conversation with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis on Thursday.

The Iranian foreign minister spoke about the principled policy of Tehran regarding the necessity of preserving the territorial integrity of countries including Ukraine.

He stated that Tehran is opposed to the continuation of the war between Moscow and Kiev. Hence, he added, Iran is ready to provide any assistance in order to swiftly resolve the crisis.

Cassis, for his part, appreciated Iran’s policy of helping establish peace in Ukraine.

Also during a phone call with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg on Thursday, Amir Abdollahian expressed hope that the war will quickly end.

“Just as the leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution has reiterated, the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly rejects claims that it is involved in the Ukraine war,” he added.

The high-ranking Iranian diplomat stated that Tehran has time and again called on Kiev to show damning proof about its claim that Iranian drones are involved in the war.

The Iranian diplomat’s remarks came after Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei dismissed Tehran’s involvement in the war as sheer lie.

“We categorically deny any presence in the Ukraine war. And such a thing is not true at all,” he stressed.

Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to the US role in the Ukraine war, stating that America waged the Ukraine war in order to expand NATO to the East.

“And now while the people of Ukraine are in trouble and grappling with problems, America and its weapons manufacturing companies are making the most of this war in terms of profits. And for this reason, they stand in the way of the necessary things to end this war,” he added.

Iranian Presdient Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi has also 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”.

Russia sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022, citing the need to protect the people of Donbass and Kiev’s failure to implement the 2014-2015 Minsk peace accords. President Vladimir Putin stated 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. Russia has officially become the most sanctioned country in the world, surpassing Iran, Syria and North Korea, after launching a military operation against Ukraine.

They also increased supplies of weapons to the Ukrainian authorities.

Moscow has repeatedly condemned the US and its NATO allies for delivering arms to Ukraine, insisting that the inflow of supplies will only prolong the conflict. The Kremlin has also stressed Western arms are considered a legitimate target once they enter Ukrainian territory.

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

Iranian officials have rejected claims about Tehran’s wepons 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.