TEHRAN - The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has once more rejected in the strongest terms Western claims that Iran has supplied weapons and drones to Russia for use against Ukraine, stating that Tehran and Moscow have long-standing defense cooperation and that Tehran seeks a peaceful resolution to the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

Nasser Kanaani commented on Iran's position on the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine in an interview with the Croatian daily newspaper Veernji list published on Tuesday.

In the interview, Kanaani stated that Iran "strongly opposes violence and the arming of any side in the Ukrainian crisis."

He added, “We have asked the Ukrainian authorities to produce any supporting document about the deployment of Iranian drones in the conflict in Ukraine. Iran and Russia have long-standing defense cooperation, but we opposed the invasion of Ukraine.”

The official emphasized that the Islamic Republic was trying to end the fighting in Ukraine by facilitating talks between the warring parties.

He said the spokesperson for the Kremlin had confirmed unequivocally that Russia had used drones built domestically in the war on Ukraine.

A senior U.S. State Department official was quoted by Al Jazeera as claiming that the Pentagon could not confirm that the drones deployed by Russia to strike Ukraine were built in Iran.

The Iranian diplomat emphasized, "We are opposed to war and we vehemently reject the sale of drones and military equipment to Russia for use in the battle with Ukraine."

“We have long-standing defense cooperation with Russia; this is unrelated to the conflict in Ukraine. We opposed the invasion of Ukraine and favor dialogue to find a solution. This is our guiding principle,” he stated

Russia and Iran have both categorically refuted allegations that Tehran sent Moscow drones for use in the conflict in Ukraine.

In July, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made the first anti-Iran allegations, claiming that Washington had "information" indicating that the Islamic Republic was getting ready to give Russia "up to several hundred drones, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline" for use in the conflict.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian dismissed claims made by Western countries last week that Iran had sent drones to Russia for use against Ukraine, saying Iran opposes conflicts everywhere.

In a phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, Amir Abdollahian stated, "The Islamic Republic of Iran has undergone an eight-year imposed war and is consequently opposed to conflicts in Ukraine, Yemen, etc."

“We have good relations with Russia and have had defense cooperation in the past, but our policy toward the war in Ukraine is to respect the territorial integrity of both countries, not to send weapons to the warring parties, and calling for an end to the war and displacement of people,” he added.

The top Iranian diplomat earlier noted that Tehran was prepared to discuss the allegations made by the West regarding the export of drones to Russia in a joint meeting with Ukrainian officials, and he called for technical meetings between the two nations in the presence of military experts without the need for any intermediaries.