Antony Blinken accused China, North Korea and Iran of supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine (REUTERS)
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinkentook the floor this Tuesday during a meeting before the UN Security Council and charged against Iran, China y North Korea for their attendance at Russia in the war against Ukraine.
Blinken, who has been highly critical of these in the past, “comprehensive strategic partnerships”began by assuring that “Iran has been supplying armed drones to the Kremlin since 2022”when the war began in the neighboring country.
“Just a few weeks ago built a drone factory in Russia, transferred hundreds of ballistic missiles short-range to Russia and Tehran has trained military personnel Russian in Iran on how to operate these weapons,” he added, in line with recent White House allegations about these exchanges and assistance.
However, he noted that this cooperation is mutual, since The Kremlin “shares technology” with its Persian counterpart at an ever-increasing rate, specifically that which concerns “nuclear issues and spatial information”, key to stepping up its bomb program.
Iran has sent hundreds of short-range ballistic missiles to Russia and has trained Russian military personnel in the use of these weapons (REUTERS)
On North KoreaThe US official pointed out to the member countries of the Council that multiple “trains loaded with weapons and ammunition, including ballistic missiles, launchers and millions of artillery shells”left Pyongyang for Moscow in recent times, which also allowed the Russian Armed Forces to continue their aggression against Ukrainian civilians.
“Tehran and Pyongyang’s support helps Putin inflict carnage, suffering and death on innocent Ukrainian men, women and children,” he said.
Blinken added a third key player to the list: China. According to him, Beijing is already positioning itself as the Leading supplier of machinery, microelectronics and other parts that Russia needs for “rebuild, resupply, upgrade their war machinery and sustain their brutal aggression” and which, as a result of Western sanctions, cannot be obtained in any other way.
“The more Russia depends on their support, the more Iran and North Korea will get in return, and the more Putin gives to Pyongyang and Tehran, the more he will exacerbate threats to peace and security, not only in Europe but also in the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and around the world.”Blinken warned.
China has denied any involvement in sending weapons and key parts to Russia (REUTERS)
However, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi distanced himself from the accusations, saying that “China is not the creator of the crisis in Ukraine, nor are we part of it.”
By early September, the State Department had already reiterated its warnings to Tehran about shipments of ballistic missiles to Russia, after the allies provided “credible information” on these transfers. According to The Financial Timesciting Ukrainian sources, Iran has sent “more than 200” short-range missiles model Fath-360 to the Kremlin, which were delivered in the second week of this month.
In response to this information, the American spokesman, Vedant Patel, pointed out that these actions constitute a “dramatic escalation” that could have “significant consequences.” “Any transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia would imply a dramatic escalation in Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. We have been clear,” he said.
The United States issued a round of sanctions against Iranian individuals and companies in early September over their arms shipments to Russia (REUTERS)
In the face of the authorities’ ignoring, a day later the Treasury Department advanced its condemnation and reported a round of sanctions against ten people and six companies from the Iranian defense sector for “allowing the shipment of weapons components and systems.”
The US agency’s undersecretary, Wally Adeyemo, then described the decision as a “concerted measure in response to the Iran’s reckless decision to proliferate” these types of weapons and of “choose to intensify their participation in the illegal war.”
(With information from AFP and Europa Press)
