EU ministers on Monday agreed to sanction Iranian officials over their alleged roles in cracking down on protesters inside Iran and warned of more potential sanctions if they can prove Tehran has provided Russia with drones for its war effort.
Ukraine’s capital and other areas in the country were struck by Russian kamikaze drones known as Geranium-2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are said to be the same as Iranian-made Shahed 136 drones, an allegation Tehran denies.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrel said that EU ministers will discuss how to respond to the attacks and Iran’s alleged role. “This is something that will be discussed, and we will look for concrete evidence about the participation [of Iran in the war],” Borrel said, according to Financial Times.
Iran on Monday denied that it supplied Russia with drones that could be used in Ukraine. “The published news about Iran providing Russia with drones has political ambitions and it’s circulated by western sources. We have not provided weaponry to any side of the countries at war,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday.
Referring to Iran’s denial, Borrel said, “Well, let’s see.” The White House also responded and accused Tehran of lying.
“You all have seen as well the reports this morning of what appear to be an Iranian drone strike in downtown Kyiv, yet Iran continues to lie about this,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
