Key Points
- Iran warns Ukraine it could be considered a “legitimate target”
- Threat follows Kyiv’s deployment of counter‑drone experts and equipment to the Middle East
- Iranian lawmaker says Ukraine has aligned itself with Israel and the US
- Kyiv insists its role is advisory and defensive
ISLAMABAD: Iran has warned that Ukraine could become a “legitimate target” after Kyiv deployed drone defence experts and equipment to the Middle East to help counter Iranian‑designed Shahed attack drones.
The warning was issued by Ibrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission, who said Ukraine’s involvement in assisting countries confronting Iranian drones effectively places it inside the expanding conflict.
Azizi said that by providing technical assistance against Iranian drones and cooperating with countries aligned with Israel and the United States, Ukraine had crossed a line that could expose it to retaliation.
“If Ukraine participates in actions against Iran, it will be considered a legitimate target,” Azizi said in remarks carried by Iranian media.
The threat follows an announcement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Kyiv had sent teams of military specialists and counter‑drone experts to several Middle Eastern countries facing Iranian drone attacks.
According to Ukrainian officials, the teams are helping assess air defence systems and share battlefield experience in intercepting Shahed‑type drones, which have been widely used in recent regional confrontations.
Iranian officials argue that such assistance amounts to indirect participation in military actions against Tehran, particularly as Iranian‑designed drones form a central component of its regional deterrence strategy.
Ukraine maintains that the deployment is limited to advisory support and defensive cooperation, based on experience gained defending Ukrainian cities from large‑scale drone attacks during the war with Russia.
Analysts say the exchange of threats highlights the growing risk that the widening Middle East confrontation could draw in actors beyond the region, linking conflicts across Europe and the Gulf in new ways.
Keywords: Iran, Ukraine, Legitimate Target, Shahed Drones, Ibrahim Azizi, Drone Experts, Middle East, Escalation, Iran Response, Zelensky
