Prosecuting Iranian complicity in Ukraine — opinion

The Special Tribunal offers an opportunity to try, even in absentia, Vladimir Putin and the Russian leadership for their illegal war and numerous crimes against Ukraine. Although Russia is, of course, the primary culprit in the war against Ukraine, the invasion is a joint criminal enterprise carried out against a Western democratic nation by some of the worst regimes in the world. The proceedings before the Special Tribunal are a chance to expose this anti-Western axis of revisionist states and to cement Ukraine's role as the defender of the West and its values.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a key player in the repressive anti-Western partnership led by Russia and China. Iran’s partnership with Russia is not solely transactional but based on shared opposition to the American-led liberal world order. Russian Eurasianist figures such as Alexander Dugin, Aleksandr Panarin, and Dmitri Trenin have argued that Moscow must deepen ties with Tehran, the United States’ most significant rival in the Middle East. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was welcomed by Iran’s leadership. After meeting with Putin in July 2022, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khameini stated that Kyiv had been used by the United States and claimed that ‘NATO would have launched a war against Russia if it had not started the military operation in Ukraine’. Following his election as president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian wrote an op-ed in which he called Russia “a valued strategic ally and neighbor” and proposed strengthening bilateral ties. In 2025, Pezeshkian traveled to Moscow, where the two countries signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement that deepened defense and security cooperation.

The Iranian-Russian alliance has been forged in the blood of innocent Ukrainians. Since August 2022, Iran has supplied Russia with thousands of Shahed and Mohajer drones, 100 million rounds of diverse ammunition, and trained Russian drone operators. These drones are mainly used to strike deep into Ukraine against civilian targets, attacking in large “swarms” intended to overwhelm air defenses. Iranian regime front companies have set up joint factories in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone to allow Russia to rapidly produce thousands of Shahed drones per month. Iranian Revolutionary Guard military personnel have been deployed directly to occupied Crimea to advise and support the Russian military. In June 2023, the US, Britain, and France demanded that the UN investigate Iran’s provision of drones to Russia, in violation of UN sanctions. Despite this, Iran’s criminal leadership has faced little accountability.

Read also: Zelenskyy: Iran deployed Russian Shahed drones against U.S. bases in Middle East

The Ukrainian ambassador to South Africa, Olexander Scherba, recently refused to sign a book of condolences for Ayatollah Khameini, writing that “the deceased leaders of Iran had on their hands the blood of thousands of Ukrainian citizens… killed with the help of the infamous Iran-made “Shahed” drones and other military know-how so eagerly provided to Russia by your government.” The Special Tribunal is now the occasion for justice.

International criminal law recognizes “aiding and abetting” as a form of criminal liability for wrongful acts. In the 2007 Bosnian Genocide Case, the International Court of Justice reasoned that the leaders of the Former Republic of Yugoslavia would be complicit in the crimes of the Serb army if their provision of political and military aid had been shown to have occurred when authorities were clearly aware that genocide was about to take place. Similarly, the Special Court for Sierra Leone held senior leaders criminally responsible when “the provision and facilitation of […] arms and ammunition” had a “substantial effect on the commission of crimes”.

Iran’s leadership meets the requirements for complicit in the crime of aggression against Ukraine. Mohamed Reza Gharaei Ashtiani, as the former Minister of Defense, oversaw a massive $1.75 billion contract to establish localized Shahed-136 drone manufacturing within Russia's Alabuga Special Economic Zone. Seyed Hojatollah Qureishi, the Deputy Minister of Defense for Supply and Logistics, acted as the primary architect and chief negotiator of this Alabuga drone agreement. Afshin Khajeh Fard, Chief of the Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO), directed the industrial manufacturing of thousands of these UAVs through subsidiary aerospace firms. Within the military apparatus, IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Majid Mousavi managed the development and intentional supply of critical ballistic missile stockpiles to Russian forces. Finally, shipping magnate and businessman Mohammad Hossein Samkhani used his extensive international "shadow fleet" and shell companies, such as Crios Shipping, to smuggle these drone components, missiles, and dual-use goods directly into Russia in exchange for petroleum. Together, these individuals systematically equipped Russia with the aerial superiority and sustained munitions required to conduct prolonged bombardments against Ukrainian cities and critical civilian infrastructure.

Iran, along with Russia, is among the most brutal dictatorships in the world. In January 2026, the Iranian regime murdered tens of thousands of its own citizens who were protesting for basic civil rights, in one of the bloodiest modern examples of civil repression. The Islamic Republic has been fighting an open war against Israel, another Western democracy, directly and through its various proxies since October 2023. Ukraine now has the chance to stand up for its own murdered citizens as well as Iran’s other victims domestically and abroad. The Special Tribunal can demand a modicum of accountability for Iran’s crimes.

Read also: Why Europe’s new tribunal initiative could reshape accountability for Russia’s war

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine

Section: Opinion

Author: Eric Malinowski