The US on Wednesday called out to Iran to stop sending weapons to Russia to kill Ukrainians as the war between Kyiv and Moscow escalated in the past few weeks and added that deepening ties between Russia and Iran are moving beyond weapons.
"We're concerned Moscow may be advising Iran to manage protests (Mahsa Amini protests) as Russia has extensive experience in suppressing open demonstrations. Our message to Iran is clear: Stop killing people, stop sending weapons to Russia to kill Ukrainians," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a press briefing.
As protests in Iran continue and are only becoming violent with every passing day, the White House secretary said the administration is highly concerned that Russia may be advising Tehran on best practices to manage women-led and anti-government protests, The Hill reported.
"The administration is concerned that Moscow may be advising Tehran on best practices to manage protests," Karine Jean-Pierre said while referring to Iran's deadly crackdowns on women-led demonstrations.
Furthermore, the US also refuted claims of denials by Russia that Iran is supplying weaponized drones in its aggression on Ukraine, reported The Hill.
"The evidence that Iran is helping Russia wage its war against Ukraine is clear and it is public and Iran and Russia are growing closer the more isolated they become," Jean-Pierre said.
"Our message to Iran is very, very clear, stop killing your people and stop selling weapons to Russia to kill Ukrainians," she added.
After the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini under police custody, there have been widespread rallies and strikes throughout the Kurdish region of Iran. Public expressions of anger at Amini's death and Iran's decades-old mandatory public headscarf policy for women quickly evolved into Iranian protesters calling for more freedoms and the death of Iran's Islamist rulers.
Meanwhile, on October 17 earlier, the United States strongly condemned early morning drone strikes on Kyiv as it rebuked Russia for "reprehensible" attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
"More desperate and reprehensible Russian attacks this morning against civilians and civilian infrastructure. We admire the strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people. We will stand with you for as long as it takes," the US embassy in Ukraine tweeted.
Ukraine's capital city Kyiv was rocked by multiple explosions in the attack by "Kamikaze" drones and several residential buildings were damaged during the attack.
Kyiv claimed Moscow used Iranian-supplied drones in the strikes against major Ukrainian cities in recent weeks and pleaded with Western countries to step up their assistance in the face of the new challenge.
( With inputs from ANI )
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