Iran and Ukraine clash at the United Nations

On March 30, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Deyi stated that Iran's representative at the UN, Irvani, was lying in his remarks at the United Nations.

"How can you tell if Iran's regime representative is lying? Just watch his lips moving—he's lying. Since 2022, Iran has supplied nearly 60,000 drones to Russia for attacks on Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine has never launched a single drone strike against Iran. This deceitful regime should never have existed."

Earlier that day, Irvani wrote a letter to the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council, firmly rejecting all accusations made by Ukraine's representative.

- "These accusations are entirely baseless and lack credible evidence; their purpose is to divert attention and conceal an aggressive war against a sovereign state."

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- "Ukraine’s involvement is not accidental but rather reflects its active participation and assistance in the illegal use of force against a sovereign nation."

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- "Ukraine should bear corresponding international responsibility for aiding or supporting unlawful actions by other countries."

These statements clearly served as a response to remarks made by Ukraine’s permanent representative to the UN, Melnyk, during a special session of the Security Council on March 23.

Melnyk had said that Russia’s large-scale production and transfer of upgraded Shahed drones to Iran represented an unprecedented escalation; Russia is not only Iran’s primary ally but also a major accomplice and key executor in the illegal attacks on civilian facilities in Gulf countries; Russia has provided intelligence to Iran—including satellite imagery—to help Tehran more accurately target regional objectives; reports indicate Russia has also delivered attack helicopters to Iran, which may violate the UN arms embargo on Iran; the military cooperation between Russia and Iran constitutes a modern-day 'axis of evil,' posing a serious threat to international security.

Key Points from Iran’s UN Statement

In addition to criticizing Ukraine, Irvani also condemned Iran’s neighboring countries:

"Iran strongly and unequivocally protests the aforementioned illegal acts, urging the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait to abide by principles of good neighborliness and prevent their territories from being further used in actions targeting the Islamic Republic of Iran."

He also denounced "U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s critical industrial facilities," including the Mobarakeh Steel Plant in Isfahan and the Khuzestan Steel Plant.

Irvani emphasized that these were not isolated incidents: since February 28, 2026, Iran’s civilian infrastructure has been subjected to systematic attacks under the U.S. and Israeli so-called 'aggression.'

He described these actions as "deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure," constituting "typical state terrorism," and violations of international law and international humanitarian law.

Iran reiterated its inherent right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter and affirmed it will take all necessary and proportionate measures to safeguard its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and core national interests.

Previously, Zelenskyy had proposed assisting Gulf states in intercepting Iranian Shahed drones. On March 17, a Ukrainian expert team of 201 personnel had already traveled to the Gulf region. In response, Tehran threatened countermeasures. Zelenskyy stated he was not intimidated by such threats.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861126057971722/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.