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Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Iran and Russia on Wednesday rejected accusations from democratic nations that Tehran has supplied the Kremlin with drones to be used in the Ukrainian war, as both countries accused the West of running a disinformation campaign. Representatives to the United Nations from Iran and Russia made the comments to reporters following a closed-door Security Council meeting called by Britain, the United States and France to discuss their concerns.
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The three western allies accused Iran of supplying Russia with drones in a violation of U.N. Security Council resolution 2231, which endorsed the Obama-era multination nuclear accord that bars Iran from transferring items, materials, equipment, goods and technology to another country.
Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations, said Tehran has, since the start of the conflict, advocated for peace and an immediate end to the fighting.
"Having said that, Iran categorically rejected unfounded and unsubstantiated claims that Iran has transferred UVAs for the use of the conflict in Ukraine," he said.
Iravani called the accusations "disappointing" while charging the three nations with "trying to launch a disinformation campaign against Iran" and of offering "misleading interpretations" of the U.N. resolution.
Dmitry Polyanskiy, deputy permanent representative of Russia to the U.N., similarly rejected the accusations while accusing the United States of being in violation of the accord since 2018, when then-U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was enacted in 2015 to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
"The aim of our Western colleagues is clear: They attempt to hit two targets at once, inventing an artificial protect to put pressure on Russia and on Iran," he said.
The Russian diplomat accused the United States of attempting to divert attention from its own engagement in the conflict as it has supplied Kyiv's military with mass amounts of weaponry.
He added that the UAVs used in the conflict are Russian-made while warning the Western nations to not underestimate its technological abilities.
"I can tell you we know what we do and we know how to do it," he said.
While Iravani said the issue of drones was "outside the scope" of the U.N. resolution, Polyanskiy said that not only was it Washington, D.C., that was in violation of it but that by accusing Iran they were complicating its push to restore the nuclear pact.
As evidence the drones are Russian-made, Polyanskiy pointed to Cyrillic script donning the sides of the weaponry, stating "I don't think that Russian is very much widely used in Iran."
The accusations were leveled against the two nations as Russia has for days used so-called kamikaze drones in attacks on Ukrainian civilian centers, including its capital, Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that the attacks since Oct. 10 have destroyed 30% of Ukraine's power stations, causing mass blackouts across the country.
Since the summer, the United States has warned that Iran was preparing to transfer drones to Russia for use in its war. State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement Wednesday that there is "abundant evidence" that Kremlin forces have used the Iranian weaponry to strike Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure .
"As Iran continues to lie and deny providing weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine, we are committed to working with allies and partners to prevent the transfer of dangerous weaponry to Russia," he said. "We will not hesitate to use our sanctions and other appropriate tools on all involved in these transfers."
He also vowed that the United States will continue to "surge unprecedent security assistance to Ukraine."
In response to Russia's use of drones, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg last week announced a new package of assistance for Kyiv that includes lethal weapons as well as drones and drone jammers capable of disrupting both Russian and Iranian UAVs.
Earlier Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen accused Russia of committing war crimes by targeting civilian infrastructure.
"This is marking a new chapter in an already very cruel war," she said in a speech before European lawmakers. "The international order is very clear. These are war crimes. Targeted attacks on civilian infrastructure with the clear aim to cut off men, women, children from water, electricity and heating with the winter coming -- these are acts of pure terror. And we have to call it as such."
