Iran's support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine since 24 February 2022 has drawn Ukrainian condemnation. The Iranian government has supported Russia on the international stage and later became a chief supplier of armaments to the Russian military in light of international sanctions against Russia and Belarus. Additionally, Russia's usage of the Iranian Shahed 131 and Shahed 136, especially against Ukrainian civilians, has led to increasingly negative rhetoric towards Iran from the Western world.[3]
On 25 December 1991, Iran officially recognized the independence of Ukraine. Diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Iran were established on 22 January 1992 with the signing of the 'Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Ukraine and the Islamic Republic of Iran'. In January 1992, the Embassy of Iran in Kyiv began operations and in October of the same year, the Embassy of Ukraine in Tehran also began its operations.[5]
From 25 April to April 26, 1992, at the invitation of the President of IranAkbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, President of UkraineLeonid Kravchuk paid a visit to Iran, where both the leaders signed the 'Declaration on the Principles of Friendly Cooperation between Ukraine and Islamic Republic of Iran'. The declaration stated that both countries will develop their relations as friendly states and equal partners, while being guided by the principles of respect for the sovereignty of both countries, the inviolability of borders, territorial integrity and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.[6][7]
Iran and the Russo-Ukrainian War
Iran does not recognize the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea and considers Crimea an integral part of Ukraine. In 2016, a meeting of the Ukrainian-Iranian joint commission on trade and economic cooperation was held for the first time. A mechanism was launched to simplify the procedure for obtaining Ukrainian visas by Iranian citizens. On the same year, the visit of the Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of UkraineIhor Nasalyk to Iran contributed to the agreements on the transit of Iranian energy carriers to the European Union through the territory of Ukraine. The mechanism of political consultations at the level of deputy foreign ministers of both states was resumed.[8][9]
During a visit to Tehran in July 2022, Vladimir Putin received staunch support from Iran over his invasion of Ukraine, with the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei saying that if Russia had not sent troops into Ukraine, it would have faced an attack from NATO later, echoing Putin's own rhetoric.[15]
Despite official statements in July 2022 that Iran would not supply Russia or Ukraine with military equipment during the war and downplaying the United States' assessment that Iran was preparing to transfer combat drones to Russia,[16] Iranian-supplied suicide drones were being used by Russia against Ukraine from September 2022.[17] On 23 September 2022 Ukraine revoked the accreditation of the Iranian ambassador to Ukraine Manouchehr Moradi and decided to reduce Iran's diplomatic presence in Ukraine to protest Iran's drone deliveries to Russia, calling it an "unfriendly act that deals a serious blow to relations between Ukraine and Iran".[18]
Despite blaming NATO and the United States for instigating the war, the Iranian government called for a political solution to the conflict. However, many Iranians protested against the Russian invasion and criticised the government's stance in the conflict, resulting in a massive debate in Iran regarding the invasion. On 27 February 2022, a group of Iranians assembled outside of the Ukrainian Embassy in Tehran on Saturday to protest the Russian invasion, where they chanted "Death to Putin", until they were dispersed by the police. On 26 February, the Iranian conservative newspaper Kayhan published an editorial in response to the invasion stating that in the past decades the United States has abandoned several of its allies after pushing them into crises, while an editorial by Jomhouri-e Eslami stated that the stances declared by Iranian officials about the invasion contradict the principles of Iran, and demanded that they clearly condemn Russia's warmongering and to settle disputes via dialogue. The contradictory views expressed by two newspapers published by the office of the Supreme Leader of IranAli Khamenei suggest that Khamenei is trying to balance the government's stances toward the Ukrainian crisis.[19][20]
Due to the fact that the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite its official neutral stance, is supplying Russia with drones that are used for attacks in Ukraine, Ukraine's president Zelensky announced in September 2022 that the accreditation of the Iranian ambassador will be revoked and the number of diplomatic staff of the Iranian embassy in Kyiv significantly reduced.[3]Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, has also suggested to Volodymyr Zelenskyy to break formal relations with Iran; this is because of recent attacks on Ukrainian territory with drones made in Iran.[23]
In June 2023, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Iran for 50 years, in response to the Iran's military support for Russia.[4] The sanctions include a complete ban on trading, investments and technology transfer.[4]
In July 2023, following the Three Islands (Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs) dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, Russian diplomats called for negotiations on the status of the islands near the Strait of Hormuz that Iran considers its own which are also contested by the United Arab Emirates. In a retaliatory attempt, Iranian Foreign MinisterHossein Amir-Abdollahian issued a statement that Iran supports Ukraine's territorial integrity.[24]
Public opinion
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, public attitudes towards Iran shifted: an opinion poll conducted in February-March 2023 by the Razumkov Centre showed that 73.5% of Ukrainians surveyed had a negative view of Iran.[25] In a January 2024 Razumkov Centre opinion poll, 82% of Ukrainians reported a negative attitude towards Iran.[26]
^"Іран не визнає анексію Криму - посол" [Iran does not recognize the annexation of Crimea - ambassador]. ukrinform.ua (in Ukrainian). 2018-02-20. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
