Iran on Saturday (September 24th) regretted Kiev's decision to "
significantly reduce
" Iran's diplomatic presence in the country, in retaliation for arms deliveries from Tehran to Moscow.
"
Tehran expresses its regret for the Ukrainian government's decision regarding diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran
," said Nasser Kanani, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, in a statement.
"
This decision,
he said,
is based on unfounded information, relayed by foreign media propaganda
" against Tehran.
According to the Ukrainian army, a civilian was killed Friday in a Russian attack carried out using Iranian drones on the port city of Odessa, in southern Ukraine.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: Iran to deliver drones to Russia
An Iranian Shahed-136 drone was shot down over the sea in this attack.
The army also assured on Friday that it shot down an Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drone in another area.
Nasser Kanani underlined his country's "
clear policy of active neutrality
" in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, "
its opposition to war and the need for a political settlement of disputes without recourse to violence
".
Iran will respond "
appropriately to the decision of the Ukrainian government
", concludes Tehran.
"
The decision to deprive the Iranian ambassador to Ukraine of his accreditation and to considerably reduce the number of diplomatic staff at the Iranian embassy in Kiev
" was communicated to the Iranian charge d'affaires in Ukraine, who was summoned to the ministry, according to the Ukrainian ministry.
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