Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Western countries Wednesday of using the Russian invasion of Ukraine to sell weapons, endangering Ukrainian lives for “colonial” motives.
Khamenei said the West push “the people of Ukraine to the frontlines in order to fill the pockets of American arms-manufacturing companies,” during a rally in Tehran, with students and senior clerics.
The Iranian Ayatollah then called the motives “predatory” and “colonial,” for pushing Ukrainians to fight and be killed in “the interests of Western arms production and sales companies”. Ukraine was sent weapons worth tens of billions of dollars from its allies, after the invasion Russia launched in February 2022.
On the other hand, Kyiv and many of its Western allies have repeatedly accused Iran of sending weapons to Russia for use in the conflict, particularly Shahed drones, accusations that Tehran has repeatedly denied. The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said last month that “the Islamic republic does not support any side in the Ukraine war”.
NATO raised their concerns again on Tuesday, over Iran’s “malicious activities” within allied territory, and urged Tehran to stop its military aid to Moscow. In a statement it asked “Iran to cease its military support to Russia, in particular its transfer of Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) which have been used to attack critical infrastructure, causing widespread civilian casualties.”
The statement also called on Iran to “fulfill its legal obligations under its Non-Proliferation Treaty-required safeguards agreement and political commitments regarding nuclear non-proliferation without further delay. –i24 News
He’s on to something
He’s right