No peeing in the Ficus a cat stayed at my house and loved sitting in the pot of Frank
23 Sep, 2022 22:52
Ukraine expels Iranian ambassador
Kiev plans to reduce Tehran’s diplomatic presence, accusing it of selling attack drones to Russia
Ukraine said on Friday that it had revoked the accreditation of Iran’s ambassador in Kiev and would “significantly reduce” the number of diplomats at the embassy, in response to Tehran’s “unfriendly act” of selling combat drones to Russia.
Supplying weapons to Moscow “directly contradicts the position of neutrality, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, publicly declared by the top leadership of Iran,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, further calling it “an unfriendly act that deals a serious blow to Ukraine-Iran relations.”
The decision to revoke the accreditation and expel a yet-unspecified number of diplomats was delivered to the Iranian charge d’affaires on Friday evening. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s defense ministry claimed to have destroyed six “Russian kamikaze drones provided by Iran.”
According to photos and videos circulating on social media, Russian forces operating in Ukraine have been using a kamikaze drone marked Geran-2 (Geranium), which resembles the Iranian-made Shahed-136. An unverified video from Odessa on Friday showed Ukrainian troops extracting another type of drone from the waters of the Black Sea. The drone reportedly looks like the observation platform Mohajer-6.
The US first accused Iran of selling attack drones to Russia in July, which Tehran has denied. At the end of August, the Kremlin called US media reports about drone transfers “information stuffing,” but said relations with Iran were “developing dynamically” and would continue to do so.
In addition to missiles and artillery, Washington has provided Ukraine with hundreds of Switchblade tactical kamikaze drones, as well as the model dubbed Phoenix Ghost, supposedly custom-developed to Kiev’s specifications on short notice.
Kiev has also purchased multiple strike drones from the Turkish company Baykar Makina. Ukraine is also seeking to build its own factoryto produce the Bayraktar and Akinci UAV. Co-owned by the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Baykar has reportedlyvowed “never” to sell drones to Russia. That has not stopped Moscow from maintaining diplomatic relations with Ankara, however.
https://www.rt.com/russia/563432-ukraine-iran-drones-russia/
24 Sep, 2022 14:45
Iran promises ‘appropriate response’ to Ukraine
Tehran has expressed “regret” over Kiev’s decision to expel its ambassador over alleged drone deliveries to Russia
Iran “regrets” Ukraine’s decision to expel the country’s envoy and will make an “appropriate response,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said on Saturday. Kiev has accused Tehran of supplying attack drones to Russia, calling the alleged deliveries “an unfriendly act that deals a serious blow to Ukraine-Iran relations.”
Tehran has remained neutral in the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, Kanani stated, adding that it hopes for a “peaceful settlement”of the hostilities. Iran said Kiev’s decision was made under the influence of “propaganda”from foreign media and “unconfirmed reports.”
Ukraine revoked the accreditation of Tehran’s ambassador in Kiev on Friday, pledging to “significantly reduce” the number of Iran’s diplomatic staff at the country’s embassy.
The alleged supply of weapons to Russia “directly contradicts the position of neutrality, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, publicly declared by the top leadership of Iran,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The move comes amid claims from Ukraine’s military that it had destroyed six “Russian kamikaze drones provided by Iran.” Footage circulating online shows parts of a drone marked Geran-2, which bears striking similarities to the Iranian-made Shahed-136. Another video shows a large, unmanned aerial vehicle, which was said to have been towed by Ukrainian forces in the waters of the Black Sea off the southwestern port city of Odessa. The aircraft appears to be similar to the Iranian-made Mohajer-6 attack and reconnaissance drone.
Tehran was first accused by the US of supplying drones to Russia amid the conflict in Ukraine in July, which Iran denied. Moscow commented on the issue in late August, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissing the claims as “information stuffing,” while hailing the “dynamically” developing ties with Tehran.
https://www.rt.com/news/563465-iran-ukraine-appropriate-response/