A handout picture provided by the Iran's Ministry of Defence on April 27, 2022 shows Iranian Defence Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani (right) at a meeting in Tehran. (IRANIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY / AFP)
TEHRAN – Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani said that Ukraine has not presented any evidence for its claim that Russia has used Iranian military drones in the Ukraine conflict, Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday.
Recently, experts from Iran and Ukraine held a meeting to discuss the allegations, said Ashtiani, adding that in the technical meeting, the Ukrainian side did not present any document about Russia's deployment of Iranian drones in the conflict with their country.
He dismissed West's accusations against Iran in this regard as "rumors based on unfounded claims."
Ashtiani noted that Iran and Russia's military cooperation goes back a long time and beyond a specific purpose.
READ MORE: Tehran rejects EU claim of using Iranian drones against Ukraine
Ukraine and western countries have accused Iran of exporting suicide drones to Russia for use in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which Iran has repeatedly rejected as "baseless" allegations.