The US alleged that Iranian military personnel have visited the Crimea, where Russian military personnel have been piloting Tehran’s drones, which are targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
According to CNN, John Kirby, the communications coordinator at the National Security Council, said, “We can confirm that Russian military personnel that are based in Crimea have been piloting Iranian UAVs, using them to conduct strikes across Ukraine, including strikes against Kyiv,” according to CNN. He further said that the presence of Iranian personnel was evidence of Tehran’s direct engagement in the conflict.
“Iranian military personnel were on the ground in Crimea and assisted with these operations,” Kirby said. “Russia has received dozens of UAVs so far and will likely continue to receive additional shipments in the future.”
He further said that Tehran is now directly engaged on the ground and through the provision of weapons that are impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, CNN reported.
He said the Russians weren’t familiar with the use of the drones and needed help from the Iranian personnel to use them.
This statement came after the three explosions that were heard in Kyiv at around 6.45 am (local time) on Monday. Kirby indicated that the US would set aside its efforts to renegotiate a nuclear deal with Iran because of its involvement with Russia’s military, according to CBC.
And also, Iran’s brutal crackdown on protesters following the September death of a woman who was arrested in Tehran for “inappropriate attire” is also the reason behind the renegotiation of the nuclear deal.
Following Russia’s attack on the Ukranian capital with Iran-made-Kamikaze drones, Washington said that it will hold Moscow accountable for “war crimes”