Internal disputes began in Iran over the decision to supply Russia with drones, which it uses in the war with Ukraine. Several influential people have already publicly spoken against it.
The Guardian writes about it.
In particular, the editor of the Iranian newspaper Jomhouri Eslami, Masih Mohajeri, stated that Iran should officially advise Russia to comply with international law, prohibit Russia from using Iranian drones if they were delivered before the start of the war, and maintain closer relations with Ukraine. His statements were widely circulated by other Iranian newspapers.
He also addressed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Hossein Amirabdollakhian, with the question of why Russia was not immediately banned from using Iranian drones and why there are no efforts to become mediators between Ukraine and Russia. Mohajeri emphasized that Iran could be a mediator without damaging its relations with Russia.
The former ambassador of Iran to Russia, Nematolla Izadi, suggested that there was no proper communication between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the military, and because of this, the Foreign Ministry did not know anything about the delivery of the drones. In his opinion, the Iranian authorities considered the sale of drones profitable but "seems to have succumbed to Russiaʼs deceptive operation, which, in my opinion, does not serve our national interests at all."
- Previously, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Nasser Kanaani, publicly denied the supply of their military drones to the Russian army. Even despite the fact that the Ukrainian military has already shot down dozens of such drones.
- On November 1, CNN, citing Western officials who closely monitor Iranʼs weapons program, reported that Iran plans to transfer approximately 1,000 ballistic missiles and drones to Russia for the war against Ukraine. At the same time, the Pentagon still has no confirmation that Iran could transfer short-range ballistic missiles to Russia or plans to do so.
- On November 5, Iranʼs Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollakhian said that his country supplied Russia with kamikaze drones, but allegedly before the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine.