Follow the liveblog about the war here
The European Union (EU) and its partners could adopt new sanctions against Iran, accused of supplying drones used by Russia in Ukraine, considered a “security riskglobal, said the president of the European Commission on Friday.
kyiv and its Western backers have accused Russia of using Iranian-made drones to carry out attacks in Ukraine in recent weeks.
Iran admits for the first time that it supplied drones to Moscow
“We are coordinating with our partners and allies to adopt new sanctions against Iran, in response to the proliferation of Iranian drones,” Ursula von der Leyen announced during an annual security conference in Bahrain, a small Gulf kingdom near the Iranian shores.
UK, Canada and the EU have already imposed sanctions on Iranian officials and arms companiesjustified by the supply of drones to Russia, but also by the repression of demonstrations in the Islamic Republic.
The head of the European Commission considered that Iran “allies” with Russia to “sabotage the rules and the basic principles of the world order????????
In early November, Iran acknowledged supplying drones to Russia, but claimed the deliveries came before the offensive in Ukraine.
“For several years now, various Gulf countries have been warning about the risk of Iran feeding rogue states with drones,” Ursula von der Leyen declared.
In his opinion, the EU took “too long to understand a simple fact: the need to counter” other forms of arms proliferation, from drones to ballistic missiles“, in addition to international efforts to prevent Iran from possessing the atomic bomb.
This proliferation constitutes “a security risk, not only for the Middle East, but for all of us,” he added.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states accuse Iran of supporting and arming armed movements in the Middle East, from Yemen’s Houthi rebels to Lebanese Hezbollah.
Source: Observadora
