Iran UN Envoy Rejects Ukraine’s Allegation of War Drone Delivery

Saeed Iravani made the remarks in a letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the world body's Security Council (UNSC) on October 19.

The ambassador submitted the letter after Ukraine’s UN envoy Sergiy Kyslytsya wrote to Guterres and Security Council members, alleging that Iran had "violated" the UNSC Resolution 2231 by allegedly transferring unmanned aerial vehicles to Russia.

Here is the text of the Iranian ambassador's letter:

"In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Excellency,

Upon instructions from my Government and with reference to the letter dated 17 October 2022 from the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (S/2022/771), regarding the illusory relationship between the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Ukraine and Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015), without prejudice to the falsehood nature of establishing such a relationship, I would like to reiterate the principled position of the Islamic Republic of Iran and categorically reject the unfounded allegation that Iran has supplied UAVs for use in the conflict in Ukraine. It is regrettable that Ukraine overlooks Iran's impartial position on the conflict in Ukraine and continues to base its claims and false statements on unsubstantiated "public information".

The above-mentioned letter seeks to pursue a certain political agenda by arbitrarily disseminating technical misinformation and misleading the interpretations of Security Council Resolution 2231 to wrongly establish a link between Ukraine's baseless allegations against Iran and resolution 2231, aimed at manipulating the UN Secretariat to advance its political agenda.

Therefore, reiterating Iran’s principled position vis-� -vis the conflict in Ukraine, I draw your kind attention to the following:

• The issues related to the use of any conventional weapons in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine are completely irrelevant to Security Council Resolution 2231 and its annex B.
• Restrictions specified in Paragraph 6 (b) of Annex B to resolution 2231 terminated in October 2020. Since then, none of Iran's "supply, sale or transfer of arms or related material" to other countries falls under resolution 2231.
• Ukraine's claim regarding paragraph 4 of Annex B to resolution 2231 is an inaccurate and arbitrary interpretation of the letter and spirit of that paragraph. Paragraph 4 of Annex B to resolution 2231 clearly refers to restrictions of “… items, materials, equipment, goods, and technology that the State determines could contribute to the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems”.
• Iran never supplied nor does it intend to supply items, materials, equipment, goods and technology that it determines could contribute to the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems, particularly in this case to a nuclear-weapon State that is not in need of such items, materials, equipment, goods and technology for delivery of its nuclear weapons.        
• The offer by Ukraine to UN experts to visit the Country to inspect recovered UAVs "in order to facilitate implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2231" lacks any legal foundation under resolution 2231 and the relevant Note by the President of the Security Council (S/2016/44). Thus, any recourse to functions specified in the Note S/2016/44 would be wrongful, illegal and ultra vires and should be strongly rejected. Iran respectfully requests the Secretary-General to prevent any misuse of format 2231 and the Secretariat in connection to the issues related to the conflict in Ukraine. 

I should be grateful if you could have this letter circulated as a document of the Security Council.

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration."