Russia-Ukraine war: White House says Iran may be contributing to war crimes

Iran has come under heavy scrutiny for its involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine due to Iranian-made drones being used by Moscow. The White House said Iran may also be contributing to the war crimes being committed in Ukraine due to its weapons being used.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Monday that Iran may likely be contributing to the war crimes being committed in the ongoing war. The United States has already imposed sanctions on companies and individuals it has accused of transferring or producing Iranian drones to Russia to be used in Ukraine.

“Their weapons are being used to kill civilians in Ukraine and to try to plunge cities into cold and darkness which from our point of view, puts Iran in a place it could potentially be contributing to widespread war crimes,” Sullivan told reporters during President Joe Biden’s trip to Mexico.

Last week, the White House said Washington was looking at ways to effectively target Iran’s production of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones through sanctions and export controls.

Meanwhile, officials in Kyiv said on Tuesday that Russia has ramped up its assault on the town of Soledar in Ukraine’s eastern region, which has forced Ukrainian troops to go on defense against the attacks led by the Russian Wagner mercenary group. Both sides have sustained major losses in the midst of the fighting taking place in the area.

Ukrainian deputy defense minister Hanna Malyar said in a post on the Telegram messaging platform on Monday that Ukrainian forces were able to repel an earlier attempt by Russia to capture the town. However, large numbers of Wagner units returned to the area with new attacks and more soldiers under heavy artillery cover.

“The enemy literally step over the corpses of their own soldiers, using massed artillery, MLRS systems, and mortars,” said Malyar.

According to Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov, the fighting that is happening in Bakhmut and Soledar is “the most intense on the entire frontline” as both sides make very little advancements in the midst of the freezing weather. Zhdanov said in a video on Youtube that many pro-Russia soldiers are on the battlefield, either dead or wounded.