U.S. Says Takes 'Serious Issue' With Iran Providing Drones To Russia To Be Used In Ukraine

Washington D.C./18.08.23/Turan:  The United States said on Thursday that it "takes serious issues" with Iran's partaking in a number of malign and destabilizing activities, such as its provision of drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"We, of course, in coordination with our allies and partners, will continue to hold both the Iranian regime as well as the Russian Federation accountable for the use of these drones on our Ukrainian partners," State Department's Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told a daily briefing.

He went on to add, "We know quite clearly that the Iranian regime is providing drones to the Russian Federation and that they’re being used in Ukraine."

Patel also said that the recent deal with Iran involving American citizens who have been released from the Evin Prison and moved to house arrest is "a separate issue from all of our other issues as it relates to the Iranian regime."

"We will continue to take steps to hold the Iranian regime accountable for their malign, destabilizing activities in the region, as well as more broadly as well," he emphasized.

Asked by TURAN if Washington was willing to punish Iranian leaders with human rights sanctions ahead of the first anniversary of the Mahsa Amini'a murder next  month, Patel said, the U.S. has "not hesitated to take steps to hold perpetrators and violators of human rights in Iran accountable." 

"...You saw us do so at regular intervals over the course of the last year and we’ll continue to take steps to do so. And of course, the Iranian regime’s crackdown of human rights and its clear violations of human rights continues to be a threat posed by them that we will continue to tackle and challenge in close coordination with allies and partners in the region, but across the world broadly also," he concluded.

Alex Raufoglu