Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that Iran “avoids doing anything that might lead to further escalation in Ukraine, such as delivering weapons,” as quoted by Poland’s kresy24.pl website on Friday.
Iran’s top diplomat added: “We have military agreements with Russia, but we won’t help any of the parties to this conflict,” kresy24.pl reported, citing Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper.
On Monday, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned that Iran could provide Russia with “up to several hundred UAVs,” including weapons-capable drones, for use “as early as July,” news outlets reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the issue. He also denied that Russian President Vladimir Putin would discuss drone deliveries during his visit to Tehran on July 19, according to kresy24.pl.
'Slap in the face’ for Putin
Russian expat political writer Andrey Piontkovsky was quoted as saying that Iran’s refusal to supply drones was “a slap in the face” for Putin.
Piontkovsky added that approaching Iran with the request for UAVs was itself "a humiliation for Russia," according to kresy24.pl.
Meanwhile, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Putin’s attempt to establish relations with Iran showed “the depth of Russia’s isolation” and the difficulties it faces in trying to restock armaments, kresy24.pl reported.
Friday is day 142 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Source: kresy24.pl, edition.cnn.com