The presentation took place on Tuesday in the British Parliament. Referring to the case, MFA spokesman Maciej Wewiór told PAP that the conversation at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not “one-way” and the Polish side emphasized that drones are a real threat to the Republic of Poland. The Iranian side, as he noted, “took note of this.”
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The exhibition, organized by the American activist organization United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), presented the Shahed-136 drone used against Ukraine, pointing to Tehran's role in supporting Moscow's military campaign.
During Tuesday's event in London, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, talked about Russia's aggressive policy and also pointed out that Great Britain has become a victim of the hybrid war that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is waging against NATO. The minister recalled that in Great Britain there had been poisonings, arson and spying on critical infrastructure by Russian ships. He added that Poland is struggling, among others, with: with sending illegal migrants from Belarus, arson and cyberattacks on financial institutions and hospitals.
“Strong protest”
Mahmoud Heidari, director of the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe department at Iran's Foreign Ministry, expressed “strong protest” against the London event. According to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the decision to display the drone violates diplomatic norms and serves to repeat politically motivated accusations about Iran's role in the conflict in Ukraine.
Heidari stated that the accusations regarding Iran's drone program are baseless and expressed regret over Minister Sikorski's involvement.
Iran says it sold a limited number of drones to Russia before the country launched its invasion of Ukraine. Western countries and Ukraine estimate that Shahed drones, designed in Iran and currently manufactured in Russia, have become a key element of Russian air attacks. The Financial Times reported in July that after modifying drones, the effectiveness of hitting targets increased threefold.
