At a recent event hosted by the United States, over 40 UN member states looked at a display of components and debris from lethal Iranian-made drones that were recovered from Ukraine and other locations.
“These are the real thing,” said U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield. “These are the weapons of war that Iran has transferred to malign actors in violation of Resolution 2231 that are being used to decimate civilians and critical infrastructures.”
As an example, the Ambassador pointed to the launch on October 6 of a murderous drone attack against Odessa that killed a civilian and damaged critical agricultural and port infrastructure.
“There were 33 air weapons fired by the Russians, 25 of them were Iranian-made Shahed drones. The devastation of Iranian drones cannot be overstated,” she said. “This devastation has ripple effects that disproportionately impact the Global South. Because Iran’s proliferation of these drones affects the world’s markets and food supply.”
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield pointed out that the Iranian regime’s proliferation of drones is not limited to Ukraine. Iran has sent attack drones to non-state actors in the Middle East for years, causing deep destabilization in the region. Now the chaos they cause has spread beyond the Middle East.
“Iranian officials have made no secret of their ambition to expand the sale of these attack drones,” she said. “Now they are in Russian hands, being used against civilians in Europe. Soon, they could spread further.”
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield urged the UN member states to work together to hold Iran accountable for the murderous effects of its proliferation.
“We need your voices,” she declared. “Iran’s transfer of these drones is a grave threat to international peace and security. And it’s going to take all of us, working together, to ensure the international community does the right thing and continues to hold Iran to account.”
