ILLUSTRATIVE: The Iranian flag waves in front of the IAEA headquarters before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. Photo: Reuters/Lisi Niesner

i24 News – Iran regrets Ukraine’s decision to downgrade diplomatic ties over the country’s alleged supply of drones to Russia, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said on Saturday.

Nasser Kanaani said Ukraine should “refrain from being influenced by third parties who seek to destroy relations between the two countries,” a ministry statement said.

Ukraine said that it would downgrade diplomatic ties with Iran over Tehran’s decision to supply Russian forces with drones, a move President Volodymyr Zelensky called “a collaboration with evil.”

Ukraine’s foreign ministry said “the temporary charge d’affaires of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Ukraine was summoned” over the issue.

Kanaani said Ukraine’s decision was “based on unconfirmed reports and resulted from a media hype by foreign parties.”

On Saturday, southern Ukraine military authorities said they shot down at least seven Iranian drones, including six Shahed-136 “kamikaze” craft over the sea near the ports of Odesa and Pivdennyi on Friday.

For the first time in Ukraine, these included a Mohajer-6, a larger Iranian drone, the southern military command said.

Zelensky’s spokesman said, “the use of Iranian-made weapons by Russian troops… are steps taken by Iran against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state.”

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in an English tweet on Saturday that Iran was supporting Russia “by giving modern drones to (a) backward country for the murders of Ukrainians.”