Iran–Ukraine relations
The Islamic Republic of Iran and Ukraine established formal diplomatic relations on 22 January 1992. Iran recognized Ukraine as an independent sovereign state on 25 December 1991, four months after the Ukrainian SSR issued the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine amidst the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Iran has an embassy in Ukraine's Kyiv, and Ukraine has an embassy in Iran's Tehran. The two countries enjoyed a generally cordial relationship with each other until January 2020, when Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, killing all of the 176 civilians onboard.
Iran |
Ukraine |
---|---|
Diplomatic mission | |
Embassy of Iran, Kyiv | Embassy of Ukraine, Tehran |
Iran's support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine since 24 February 2022 has drawn Ukrainian condemnation. The Iranian government has supported Russia on the international stage and later became a chief supplier of armaments to the Russian military in light of international sanctions against Russia and Belarus. Additionally, Russia's usage of the Iranian Shahed 131 and Shahed 136, especially against Ukrainian civilians, has led to increasingly negative rhetoric towards Iran from the Western world.
In early 2023, Ukraine downgraded diplomatic ties and imposed long-term sanctions against Iran due to the Iranian government's complicity in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including a complete ban on bilateral trade for 50 years.