Iran on Friday It urged its citizens in Ukraine to leave the country and warned against travel to the war-torn country, a day after the United States accused Tehran of aiding Russia’s war effort.
“Due to the military escalation in Ukraine, all Iranians are strongly advised to refrain from traveling to Ukraine. Iranians living in Ukraine are also advised to leave the country for their own safety,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Reuters.
The department did not mention comments made Thursday by White House national security spokesman John Kirby, who said the United States had learned that Iranian forces were “directly involved on the ground.” In Crimea to help Russia.
FILE – Firefighters work after a drone attack on buildings in Kyiv, Ukraine, October 17, 2022. As protests rage at home, the Iranian government is increasingly displaying its military might abroad.
(AP Photo/Roman Hrytsyna, file)
Iranian forces in crime train Russians for drone strikes against Ukraine, says White House
Western officials warned in July that Tehran would “give” hundreds of Ariel unmanned vehicles (UAVs) to Moscow as Russian forces in Ukraine He faltered and stopped his progress.
Since September, Russia has significantly increased the number of drone strikes it has carried out on civilians and infrastructure-based targets, such as the electrical systems in Ukraine.
Kirby confirmed Thursday that not only has Iran provided drones, but that Iranian military personnel have been stationed in Crimea to assist Russian forces in driving the drones to Tehran.
A drone is seen during a Russian raid amid a Russian attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, October 17, 2022. These are considered Iranian-made Shahid-136 aircraft by local authorities.
(Reuters / Roman Petushkov)
Iran now sells missiles to Russia, as well as its kamikaze drones, report
Moscow has relied on missile strikes since the offensive of the war, and Kyiv has repeatedly called on Western allies to assist in air defense as Russian forces have been pushed back on the ground but continue to attack from the sky.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Last week, G7 nations urged Kyiv to help create an “air shield” – a request that could become even more pressing after Kirby suggested that Tehran could supply Russia with additional missile systems.
“Russia may also seek to acquire advanced conventional weapons from Iran, such as surface-to-surface missiles, which would almost certainly be used to support the war against Ukraine,” Kirby told reporters.
He did not specifically mention Zelensky’s calls for an “air shield,” but said, “The United States will use all means to expose, deter and confront Iran’s provision of these munitions against the Ukrainian people.”
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