The Islamic Republic threatened to strike Ukraine Saturday, days after Kyiv shipped military experts to the Middle East to help the Gulf states defend against Iranian drones.
“By providing drone support to the Israeli regime, failed Ukraine has effectively become involved in the war,” said Ibrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s national security committee, Saturday on X.
“It has turned its entire territory into a legitimate target for Iran,” he threatened.
The threat from the Islamic Republic could represent a serious escalation of the war, potentially dragging Europe into the fight.
Shortly after its invasion of Ukraine, Russia began pummeled the country with Iranian-made “Shahed” drones. So immediately after the first Iranian counterstrikes after the Israel and US launched its joint war with Iran, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to share Kyiv’s hard-won battlefield lessons.
“Unfortunately, Ukraine knows all too well what this is about,” Zelensky had said at the start of the Iran war.
“Although Ukrainians never threatened Iran, the Iranian regime chose to become Putin’s accomplice and supplied him with ‘Shahed’ drones. … Ukraine’s experience in defense is, in many respects, irreplaceable.”
Zelensky made good on his promise Tuesday, announcing he was sending one of Ukraine’s top officials, Rustem Umerov, along with military, intelligence and defense officials to the Gulf.
More than 10 countries had requested Kyiv’s help, according to the Ukrainian president. But Zelensky also said Ukraine has no plans to send troops to the region — only experts in anti-drone defense.
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Ukraine sent interceptor drones and a team of anti-drone experts to protect US military bases in Jordan after a request from the King, Zelensky said, and the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar also asked for help.
Ukraine first began dealing with the Iranian drone threat in the fall of 2022, with Russia purchasing them from its ally Iran. Since then, Moscow’s use of attack drones in the war has skyrocketed.
