WANA (Jun 01) – NATO defense officials once again accused Iran of providing military support to Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine during the Shangri-La Dialogue, a high-level security conference held in Singapore.

 

Lithuanian Defense Minister  Dovilė Šakalienė alleged that Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are increasingly acting in coordination as part of an emerging “authoritarian axis,” calling for a unified international response. He claimed that Iran has been a primary supplier of combat drones to Russia throughout the conflict.

 

The other NATO member, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen, echoed similar concerns during a Q&A session at the forum. He stated that a range of countries are assisting Russia militarily, economically, technologically, and politically. “Iranian drones are targeting Ukrainian cities and infrastructure,” he said, repeating longstanding allegations of drone transfers from Tehran to Moscow.

 

The renewed accusations come despite consistent denials from Iranian officials, who insist that Tehran’s military cooperation with Moscow is strictly bilateral and unrelated to the Ukraine conflict.

 

Iran maintains that it has not supported either side in the war, despite the visible military involvement of Kyiv’s Western allies. Tehran has repeatedly expressed its readiness to support a political solution to the crisis.

 

Russian officials have also rejected the claims, stating that their military operations rely on domestically produced weapons, unlike Ukraine, which heavily depends on Western-supplied arms.

Shangri-La Security Dialogue with Participation of NATO Members. Social media/ WANA News Agency