Iran's Raisi denies weapon shipments to Russia and criticizes US interference
- In Reports
- 05:40 PM, Sep 19, 2023
- Myind Staff
Iran's president Ebrahim Raisi firmly denied claims that his country had dispatched drones to Russia for deployment in the Ukrainian conflict. However, these denials come in the face of staunch accusations from the United States, which not only alleges Iran's involvement in providing these drones but also accuses them of aiding Russia in establishing a manufacturing facility for these unmanned aerial vehicles.
During a meeting with media executives on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly's high-level leaders' gathering, President Ebrahim Raisi said, “We are against the war in Ukraine," he stated.
Just hours after the release of five Americans from Iranian custody in a deal that involved the unlocking of nearly $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets by President Joe Biden. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi addressed the media on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly's high-level leaders' meeting.
While often described as a hard-liner, Raisi appeared to adopt a diplomatic approach in his remarks. He reiterated Iran's willingness to mediate in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, despite being a staunch supporter of Russia. He also suggested that the recent agreement with the United States, resulting in the prisoner exchange and asset release, could potentially contribute to building trust between the two long-standing adversaries.
Raisi acknowledged the longstanding strong ties between Iran and Russia, including defense cooperation. He challenged those making such claims to produce evidence to support their accusations.
Regarding the issue of drones, Iranian officials have issued conflicting statements. U.S. and European officials argue that the significant presence of Iranian drones in the Ukrainian conflict indicates not only the continuation but intensification of the flow of such weapons to the region.
While expressing a desire for good relations with neighboring Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Raisi's tone towards the United States was not uniformly conciliatory, with moments of strong rhetoric.
“We believe that if the Americans stop interfering in the countries of the Persian Gulf and other regions in the world, and mind their own business … the situation of the countries and their relations will improve,” Raisi said.
Following attacks on ships off their coasts attributed to Iran, the United Arab Emirates initiated diplomatic re-engagement with Tehran. Saudi Arabia with Chinese mediation reached a détente in March to restore diplomatic ties after years of tension. These tensions included concerns about the Saudi-led war in Yemen, Riyadh's opposition to Syrian President Bashar Assad, and apprehensions regarding Iran's nuclear program.
President Raisi warned regional nations about getting too close to U.S. ally Israel, emphasizing that such normalization doesn't ensure security. He faced criticism for his role in Iran's past mass executions. Raisi dismissed Western concerns about Iran's treatment of women, its nuclear program, and its handling of dissent. He compared Iranian protests to Western labour strikes and criticized media coverage of police-related deaths in the U.S.
Raisi tried to portray nationwide protests in Iran as a Western conspiracy, offering no evidence to support his claim. “The issue(s) of women, hijab, human rights, and the nuclear issue," he said, “are all pretexts by the Americans and Westerners to damage the Islamic republic as an independent country.”
Image source: HT
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