Tehran may engage in self-defense against Kiev over its “drone support” for Israel, a senior legislator says
FILE PHOTO. A Shahed-136 kamikaze drone on display during a rally Tehran, Iran. © Getty Images / NurPhoto / Morteza Nikoubazl
[RT] Ukraine
has become a party to the war launched by the US and Israel against
Iran, senior Iranian MP Ebrahim Azizi has said, threatening potential
retaliation against Kiev.
The head of the national security
commission of the Iranian parliament took to X on Saturday, warning that
Kiev’s decision to send anti-aircraft assets to the region to prop up
the attackers gives Tehran the right to strike Ukraine in self-defense.
“By providing drone support to the Israeli regime, failed Ukraine has effectively become involved in the war and, under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, has turned its entire territory into a legitimate target for Iran,” Azizi wrote.
Over the past two
weeks, Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly signaled his readiness to get
involved in the war in the Middle East. He has claimed the US had asked
Ukraine for help defend its Gulf allies against Iranian strikes on
American assets stationed there, while other regional “partners” have purportedly reached out to Kiev as well.
Zelensky said he had given instructions to “provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the necessary security.”
This week, he also claimed to have reached deals with some nations in
the region to sell them Ukrainian-made drone interceptors and send in
experienced anti-aircraft teams.
The Ukrainian leader also
appeared to poke at the White House over a proposed joint drone
manufacturing deal, which reportedly was deliberated last year but fell
through.
“I hope that maybe American friends will be closer to this decision now, especially after such challenges as we see in the Middle East,” Zelensky said in an interview with German journalist Gordon Repinski on Thursday.
US President Donald Trump originally appeared to be welcoming to Zelensky’s advances, stating he would “take any assistance from any country”
in battling Iran. In an interview with Fox News on Friday, however, he
snubbed Zelensky’s offers, flatly denying any assistance from Ukraine in
countering Iranian kamikaze drones was needed.
“We don’t need their help in drone defense. We know more about drones than anybody. We have the best drones in the world, actually,” the US president stated.