Lithuania’s defmin urges to isolate Iran over helping Russia attack Ukraine

VILNIUS – Lithuania’s Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas urges international community to isolate Iran over helping Russia attack Ukraine.

“Those sanctions that are applied to Iran have to be complemented by sanctions that would eliminate this indirect participant in the war,” he told the Ziniu Radijas news radio on Thursday.

The minister noted that Iran had “contributed to the destruction of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure” by supplying its military technologies and weapons to Moscow.

“These facts are sufficient for isolating Iran from international community as was already the case over its nuclear program,” Anusauskas said.

Kyiv and its Western allies have accused Moscow of using Iranian-made drones in attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks.

Ukraine has said around 400 Iranian drones have already been used against its civilian population, and Moscow has ordered around 2,000. Tehran has repeatedly denied that it has struck any arms deal with the Kremlin.

The United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union have already slapped sanctions against Iran in response to recent drone strikes in Ukraine.

Last month, Kyiv decided to downgrade its diplomatic ties with Tehran over the suspected supply of weapons to Moscow.