'Absurd' — Kyiv responds to Iranian politician who called Ukraine 'legitimate target'
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Ukraine's Foreign Ministry issued a response on March 14 after Iranian politician Ebrahim Azizi called Ukrainian territory "a legitimate target for Iran" in a social media post.
Azizi threatened Ukraine for providing air defense support to countries in the Middle East repelling Iranian drone attacks. Ukraine, which has years of experience fending off Iranian-made Shahed drones, offered to assist allies after the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran sparked a new wave of violence in the region.
By providing this support, "Ukraine has effectively become involved in the war and, under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, has turned its entire territory into a legitimate target for Iran," Azizi wrote.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry called the threat "absurd" in a statement from Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi to the media.
"The Iranian regime has been supporting the murder of Ukrainians for years, by directly sharing drones and technology for Russian aggression against Ukraine," Tykhyi said.
"In this sense, hearing anyone from that regime threaten Ukraine and cite the right to self-defense enshrined in the U.N. Charter's Article 51 is absurd. It's like hearing a serial killer justify his crimes by citing criminal code."
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 13 that over 10 countries have already requested Kyiv's aid in fighting Iranian drones. Earlier, Zelensky said Ukraine has deployed interceptor drones and a team of specialists to help protect U.S. military bases in Jordan.
U.S. President Donald Trump, however, has been publicly dismissive of Ukraine's expertise, telling Fox News on March 13 that the U.S. has "the best drones in the world, actually" and doesn't need Kyiv's help.
Russia has attacked Ukraine with increasingly massive and deadly waves of cheap, long-range kamikaze drones throughout its full-scale war — with support from its strategic partner, Iran.
In recent days, Russia has also been accused of assisting Iran with its drone attacks in the Middle East — though the Kremlin did little to support its ally when the U.S.-Israeli bombs fell, killing its Supreme Leader and dozens of high-ranking officials.
Moscow has already begun reaping financial benefits from the war in Iran, which has disrupted global oil markets and prompted the U.S. to ease restrictions on Russian oil transit.
