Iran does not recognize “referendums” in the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia and calls to respect the principle of territorial integrity of other states, declared Nasser Kanaani, official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic.

In connection with the annexation of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions of Ukraine, “Iran emphasizes the need to fully comply with the principle of the territorial integrity of countries as a fundamental rule of international law and the UN Charter,” Kanaani said.

At the same time, Tehran believes that the war in Ukraine was provoked by the actions of NATO and the United States. “Unfortunately, the destructive flames of war in Ukraine, fanned by the provocative actions of NATO and initiated by the United States, are still raging, and efforts to reduce tensions have not yet borne fruit due to the actions of certain parties pursuing their own interests in prolonging the crisis and confrontation “, – said the representative of the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Kanaani denies the participation of Iran itself as a supplier of drones for the Russian army. “The Islamic Republic of Iran considers reports of deliveries of drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine groundless,” he said. According to him, Iran took a “position of active neutrality” from the very beginning of the military conflict and spoke of the need for “non-violent resolution of differences between the two sides.”

Tehran is ready to contribute to efforts for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine and the establishment of a direct dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv, Kanaani assured. Also, the Iranian Foreign Ministry urged to avoid any provocations that could disrupt peace, stability and tranquility.

Over the past two weeks, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have shot down more than a dozen Geran-2 drones that bear a resemblance to Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones. Drones appeared at the front at the end of summer. Before that, Western intelligence detected the transfer of weapons to Russia on transport aircraft.

Iranian drones are used by the Russian army to damage military and civilian infrastructure. As a result of drone attacks, there are dead civilians. Ukraine, in response to the supply of Iranian weapons to Russia, deprived the Iranian ambassador of accreditation and reduced the number of diplomatic workers in the Iranian embassy.

At the moment, the only country that has recognized the “referenda” in the occupied territories of Ukraine is North Korea. “We show respect for the will of the residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, who sought to become part of Russia, and support the position of the Russian government on accepting the above regions into its composition,” says on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK.

On September 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed agreements on the annexation of four regions of Ukraine to Russia, which the Russian army occupied during the invasion. According to CNN, Russian troops control 56% of the territory of the Donetsk region, 71% of Zaporizhia, 82% of Kherson and 99.7% of Lugansk.