Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission, has said that Ukraine has allegedly become a “party to the war” by providing drone support to Israel and can therefore be considered a “legitimate target” for Iran.
In a post on social network X, Azizi said that “by providing drone support to the Israeli regime, Ukraine has actually become involved in the war and, according to Article 51 of the UN Charter, has turned its entire territory into a legitimate target for Iran.”
Ukrainian authorities have not yet publicly commented on the statement.
The statement came amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel. Earlier, Azizi also said that US and Israeli bases in the region could be considered “legitimate targets” for Iran if the conflict escalates.
Official Kiev has not reported providing military assistance to Israel with drones. At the same time, Ukraine has repeatedly accused Iran of supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine and supplying attack drones used to attack Ukrainian cities.
On 9 March, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine had received 11 requests for the supply of drones capable of repelling drone attacks after the US and Israel launched an operation against Iran. According to him, such requests were made by countries that are regional neighbours of Iran, as well as European states and the USA.
On 4 March, the president said that Ukraine would help countries in the Middle East to defend themselves against Iranian attacks, Ukrainian experts will work on the ground and this has already been agreed upon.
The Financial Times also wrote that the USA and an unnamed Persian Gulf country were interested in buying Ukrainian interceptor drones to shoot down Iranian “Shaheds”. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy offered the Middle East countries a “quiet exchange” and assistance: in return, he wants to receive missiles for air defence systems.