Iran dismisses Western accusations of alleged role in Ukraine crisis

Tehran: Western countries' accusations of Iran's alleged involvement in the Ukraine crisis are "baseless and misleading," Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said Wednesday.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Samuel Zbogar, who holds the UN Security Council's rotating presidency for September, Iravani said any claim about Iran's involvement in the sale, export or transfer of arms to Russia and so-called violation of its international commitments is "categorically rejected."

He reaffirmed Iran's commitment to observing international humanitarian law, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Friday, the United States, Britain and France accused Iran at an open briefing of the UN Security Council of being involved in the "sale, export or transfer of arms to Russia for use against Ukraine, violating its international obligations and supporting terrorism."

Iravani called such accusations "ironic and hypocritical" as the three countries are those directly involved in the Ukraine crisis and have prolonged the war, harmed civilians and destroyed infrastructure by offering advanced weaponry to Kiev.

The accusations showed their "narrow and short-sighted political agendas" aimed at "advancing their own political interests," he said.

"It is actually the United States, not Iran, which is the main supporter and promoter of terrorism in the region and the world," he added.