Ukraine on Saturday said Iran was lying about having struck a depot housing Ukrainian anti-drone systems in the UAE, after Tehran said it destroyed a facility used to aid US forces.
Foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy said “this is a lie, we officially refute this information”, saying Tehran “often conducts such disinformation operations”.
Ukraine has moved rapidly to provide anti-drone expertise, developed while fending off Iranian-designed drones launched by Russia, to the Gulf countries as they come under fire from Iran.
Tykhy was speaking after Iran’s central military command Khatam Al-Anbiya said in a statement carried by state TV that it had destroyed a depot in the United Arab Emirates.
“As the hideouts of American commanders and soldiers in Dubai were targeted… a depot of Ukrainian anti-drone systems that was located in Dubai to assist the US military … was targeted and destroyed,” the statement said.
Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on an unannounced tour of the Gulf that Kyiv and Abu Dhabi had agreed to cooperate on defence.
Qatar announced its own deal with Ukraine later on Saturday.
Ukraine and Saudi Arabia also signed an air defence agreement during Zelensky’s visit to the kingdom, two senior officials told AFP on Friday.
Earlier this month, Zelensky said that 201 Ukrainian anti-drone military experts were in or on their way to the Middle East to help the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The announcements came as Iran continued to launch strikes against Israel and US interests in the Gulf since the war began on February 28.
Iran accuses its Gulf neighbours of allowing US forces to carry out attacks from their territory.
They have repeatedly denied the accusations, saying even before the war that they would not allow their territory or airspace to be used to attack Iran.
AFP
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