Ukraine accuses Iran of breaching UN ban on drone transfers

Ukraine has accused Iran of violating a UN Security Council (UNSC) ban on the transfer of drones capable of flying 300 kilometres and invited UN experts to visit the country to inspect Iranian-origin drones allegedly being used by Russia against targets.

A letter from Ukraine's UN Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya to Secretary General Antonio Guterres and members of the Council was obtained by The Associated Press news agency ahead of a closed council meeting late on Wednesday requested by Britain, France and the United States on Iran's alleged sale of hundreds of drones to Russia.

US Deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters in Washington on Wednesday that the United States will join Britain and France in raising the issue at the council meeting.

Kyslytsya tweeted on Wednesday that the issue of Iranian drones used against civilians and civilian infrastructure will also be raised at an open council meeting in Ukraine on Friday.

Ukraine and its Western allies claim Russia sent waves of Iranian-made Shahed drones into Ukraine to strike at power plants, residential buildings and other key infrastructure in Kiev, the capital, and other cities.

Both Russia and Iran deny Western allegations over drone transfers. 

Ukraine's Western-reinforced air defences have made it difficult for Russian warplanes to operate, and killer drones are a cheap weapon to seek out and destroy targets while spreading fear among troops and civilians.

Resolution 2231 was adopted by the UN’s most powerful body in 2015 to endorse the nuclear deal between Iran and six key nations — the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany — aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear activities and preventing the country from developing a nuclear weapon.

Under the resolution, a conventional arms embargo on Iran was in place until October 2020, but restrictions on missiles and related technologies last until October 2023 and Western diplomats say that includes the export and purchase of advanced military systems such as drones.

READ MORE: US alleges Iran will supply Russia with 'hundreds' of drones for Ukraine

Ukraine's assessment

Kyslytsya said in the letter that according to public information, "Mohajer- and Shahed-series unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were transferred from Iran to Russia" in late August, and "Ukraine assesses that this is likely part of Iran's plans to export hundreds of UAVs to Russia."

He said both UAV models meet the requirement to be banned because they are capable of a range equal to or greater than 300 kilometres.

In addition, the Mohajer-series is manufactured by Qods Aviation, which is on the UN sanctions blacklist and subject to an asset freeze by all countries, he said.

The Ukrainian ambassador said no country submitted a request to the UN for approval of the shipment of UAVs.

"Therefore, the transfers from Iran to Russia should be considered as violations of (resolution) 2231," Kyslytsya said.

He invited UN experts monitoring sanctions against Iran to visit Ukraine "at the earliest possible opportunity" to inspect the recovered drones, saying the government hopes the information will be "helpful" in the UN’s investigations into the implementation of the resolution.

Russia warned it will reassess cooperation with UN Secretariat if the UN chief sends experts to inspect downed drones in Ukraine. 

Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy did not elaborate on what cooperation could be affected.

Polyanskiy also told reporters he was not optimistic about the renewal of a deal that resumed Ukraine's Black Sea exports of grain and fertiliser.

READ MORE: US: Iran trained Russia in drone warfare as part of deal