Amir-Abdollahian in Japan: NATO root cause of war in Ukraine
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The Iranian foreign minister has rejected accusations of providing weapons to Russia, calling for an end to Western arms supplies to Kiev after a meeting in Tokyo, Japan.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his delegation meet with the Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in Tokyo, Japan, on August 7, 2023. (Iranian MFA handout)
During his visit to Tokyo, Japan, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian reaffirmed Tehran's stance on the war in Ukraine, highlighting its position on securing a peaceful settlement to the conflict that NATO seeks to extend.
"We consider NATO and its provocations among the root causes of the war and crisis. We continue our efforts to stop the war and make the parties focus on a political solution," the Iranian foreign minister stated on Monday during a press conference.
Furthermore, he emphasized Iran's strong and principled stance against war as a solution to disputes between nations and highlighted Tehran's efforts in this regard.
"Since the beginning of the war, we have put on agenda … an end to the war as well as the parties’ return to dialog and a political solution, and taken active measures in this framework," the minister said.
It was reported that the Japanese side brought up the issue of Iranian drones being allegedly supplied to Russia.
Read more: First Iranian FM visits Japan since 2019
No Iranian-made drones in Russia
In the press conference, Amir-Abdollahian responded to the baseless claims of Iranian attack drones being supplied to Moscow after the Russian Special Military Operation was launched in February 2022, saying that the accusations are "completely wrong and incorrect" and explaining that Iran's defense cooperation with Moscow has never involved the use of Iranian-produced drones or weapons in Ukraine, highlighting that Russia is one of the world's largest arms producers and exporters.
"We have provided no parties [taking part in the war] with drones for use in Ukraine," he stated.
Amir Abdollahian also pointed to previous statements he made last year where he asked Ukrainian authorities to provide evidence regarding Tehran's supply of drones to Russia. However, Kiev evaded a meeting with the Iranian side in Warsaw, Poland and did not bring up any documents in a meeting in Oman.
"It was agreed that the Ukrainian side will once again review its documents for examination in another meeting with the Iranian side. We repeatedly called for such a meeting, but the Ukrainian side did not attend a new round of talks."
"In a phone call with the Ukrainian foreign minister, I said I am sure that you do not have the alleged document and that the accusations regarding the use of Iranian drones in the Ukraine war are completely wrong and incorrect."
The West extends and expands the conflict in Ukraine
The Iranian foreign minister emphasized Iran's objection to any sort of armament to either of the warring parties, while pointing out the increasing flow of American and Western-made weapons to Kiev, adding that this would further destabilize the region and cause death and destruction instead of quelling the conflict.
Since the start of the Special Military Operation, the West has supplied Volodymyr Zelensky's government and the Ukrainian army with billions worth of aid, weapons, and ammunition, which has only prolonged the conflict and aggravated the scope of engagement.
Western stockpiles of ammunition, specifically that of the NATO 155 mm artillery shells, have run critically low due to the extent of their use during the conflict. The West has also allocated several strategic weapons, including state-of-the-art armored vehicles, long-range guided missiles, and a flurry of attack and reconnaissance drones.
However, Western-supplied weapons have failed to achieve the hoped-for results during the last counteroffensive that the Ukrainian forces launched against Russian positions along the frontline.
This has highlighted the futility of NATO's strategy in Ukraine in regard to achieving military victory in the war and has put civilians at risk, especially after the transfer of controversial US-made cluster ammunition to Kiev.
