Iran summons Ukrainian envoy over comments on drone strike

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Iran on Monday summoned Ukraine’s charge d’affaires in Tehran over comments by a senior Kyiv official regarding drone attacks on a military complex in the central Isfahan province.

A Foreign Ministry statement said the envoy was summoned to seek an explanation of remarks made by Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In a tweet on Sunday, Podolyak referred to drone attacks on a military complex in Isfahan as well as a fire incident at an oil refinery in East Azerbaijan province, saying Ukraine “did warn you.”

“War logic is inexorable & murderous. It bills the authors & accomplices strictly. Panic in RF [Russian Federation] - endless mobilization, missile defense in Moscow, trenches 1000 km away, bomb shelters preparation,” he wrote. “Explosive night in Iran - drone & missile production, oil refineries. Ukraine did warn you.”

His remarks drew sharp reactions from Iran, which saw it as an endorsement of Saturday’s drone attack.

The Iranian Defense Ministry said Sunday that one of its workshop complexes came under attack from several micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) at around 11:30 p.m. local time (0200 GMT) on Saturday, but air defenses successfully repelled them.

It said one of the drones was intercepted by the air defense system and the other two were caught in defense traps and exploded, causing damage to the roof of the complex.

The cause of the incident is still unclear, with authorities saying that an investigation is underway.

In a separate incident late on Saturday, an oil refinery near the city of Tabriz in northern Iran’s East Azerbaijan province caught fire that resulted in extensive damage.

At least one firefighter was injured. The cause of the fire, which was later doused, also remains unclear.

Podolyak has made controversial remarks about Iran in the past as well. In a tweet on Dec. 24, he said sanctions against Tehran were not working, calling for “more destructive tools” to “liquidate” the country’s nuclear plants, which sparked outrage.

Ukraine has accused Iran of supplying drones to Russia for use in the Ukraine war. Tehran denies the claim.

The Wall Street Journal in a report on Sunday said Israel carried out the attack on the Iranian military facility in Isfahan, although Israeli authorities have refused to confirm or deny it.

Citing unnamed American officials, the newspaper said the attack targeted what some sources said was Material and Energy Laboratory of Isfahan with small drones.

Meanwhile, Russia on Monday condemned the drone strike and said it was assessing what had happened.