Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Friday denied that Iran has supplied drones to Russia for use in its invasion of Ukraine, according to TASS Russian state news.
"We do not supply weapons to either side [of the conflict]," Amirabdollahian said.
The Israeli defense establishment found in a visual analysis that pieces of drones found in Ukraine are identical to ones developed in Iran, The Jerusalem Post reported in October.
He said that photographs of drones that were provided to Iran by Ukraine as evidence had been studied by Iranian experts who determined that the pictures are in no way connected with Iran.
In November, Amirabdollahian said Iran had supplied drones to Russia, but only a few of them and months before the war, according to TASS.
Russia has also denied that it has used Iranian drones in the invasion.
US response to Iranian minister's claims
“Iran has denied this before. Ukraine has supplied to the world evidence of Iranian UAV technology being used to perpetrate such brutality and horror against their own people.”
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price
In response to a question about Amirabdollahian's comments, United States State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, “I can tell you that we are confident that Iran has provided Russia with the UAV technology that it has used to perpetrate some of these horrific attacks against the people of Ukraine – pursing civilian targets, going after energy generation plants.
"We are confident in that information. Iran has denied this before. Ukraine has supplied to the world evidence of Iranian UAV technology being used to perpetrate such brutality and horror against their own people.”
Omri Nahmias contributed to this report.