- January 8, 2026
- 11:07 pm
- Middle East
January 6, 2026 the ambassador of the Russian Federation in Iran Alexey Dedov stated in an interview with the Iranian agency ISNA that the accusations against Tehran regarding participation in the war against Ukraine are allegedly used by Europe only as a pretext for pressure on Iran.
In this version of events, Ukraine is not a country subjected to armed aggression, but a convenient rhetoric — a screen behind which, according to the Russian diplomat, the “hostile intentions” of the West are hidden.
“Alleged participation of Iran in the ‘conflict in Ukraine’ is merely a pretext for taking anti-Iranian aggressive steps in an attempt to limit its sovereignty”, said Dedov.
Who is really using terror here
The key substitution in these words is obvious: the ambassador of the aggressor country tries to present himself and allies as victims, completely ignoring reality.
Russia is waging war against Ukraine, systematically striking civilian infrastructure, residential areas, energy, and life-support facilities. These are classic signs of state terrorism.
Iran, in turn, has been supporting armed groups recognized as terrorist in many countries around the world for decades, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. This is recorded not in propaganda brochures, but in official sanction regimes and reports of international organizations.
When representatives of these regimes talk about “hostility of Europe,” they omit the main point: it is a reaction to terror, not a whim of the West.
Rhetoric “if not for Ukraine”
“If there were no Ukrainian issues, European countries would find other pretexts”, added the ambassador.
This thesis is a standard propaganda technique. It allows not answering specific questions:
— who started the war;
— who strikes civilians;
— who exports weapons and terror beyond their borders.
Europe does not need to “find pretexts” when there are destroyed Ukrainian cities, millions of refugees, and documented war crimes in front of them.
Denial of drones and old tactics
Separately, Dedov once again repeated the line of denial regarding the use of Iranian drones by Russia. This position does not change over the years and is always built on one principle: “we said so — therefore, it is true.”
The problem is that diplomatic denials do not cancel satellite images, drone debris, investigations, and intelligence conclusions. Refusal to acknowledge facts is not an argument, but an attempt to buy time.
Why Europe calls things by their names
Ukraine in this story is not a “pretext,” but a reason. The reason for sanctions, international isolation, and pressure on regimes that:
— start wars;
— finance terror;
— use the civilian population as a tool of intimidation.
When representatives of Russia and Iran accuse Europe of “hostility,” they forget to add the main point: they are considered terrorists not for words, but for actions.
This substitution — where the aggressor portrays themselves as a victim, and the victim is called a “pretext” — is what NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency is analyzing today.
