Russia’s apparent use of Iranian weapons to bombard Kyiv has endangered Western diplomats who returned to the capital after Russia’s initial failure to take the city, reinforcing Ukraine’s call for European sanctions on the regime in Tehran.
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“We should definitely do … as much as possible [to punish Iran] because all those diplomats from the same countries are sitting here in Kyiv, under the threat — not only the threat, but the blasts of those weapons,” a senior European official told the Washington Examiner on Monday. “From our embassy, it’s one kilometer, not more … the center [of town] is full of embassies and diplomats’ living places as well.”
European leaders want to see a “comprehensive and coordinated” presentation of the evidence against Iran, according to a top European Union official, as Iranian officials deny providing any weapons to Russia. Yet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba made a persuasive case against Iran during a Monday videoconference with the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council.
“For many, Kuleba’s explanation has been determinative,” European Union High Representative Josep Borrell told reporters Monday.
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Kuleba outlined his charges against Iran “from a bomb shelter,” as Borrell observed following a meeting of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council, a gathering that saw the EU blacklisted Iran’s so-called morality police for human rights abuses. Those human rights sanctions could be just the leading edge of a wider sanctions campaign, following a decade of European policy toward Iran that prioritized nuclear negotiations over other controversies.
“We have to admit, I think, that the West again has failed [in how we are] treating Iran. That’s a failure,” the senior European official said in between air raid sirens. “Somehow, we are sanctioning them, [but] Europe always has been milder, thinking that engagement would have a positive effect. But now we are seeing that [despite] trying to engage, authoritarian regimes are not giving you any benefits. The same with Russia.”
Iran’s arming of Russia represents a “historic” demonstration of defense industry capacity by Tehran.
“All of this means Iran’s arms proliferation is no longer just a Middle Eastern problem,” Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior fellow Behnam Ben Taleblu said. “When the Islamic Republic sides with two distinctly non-Islamist actors — People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation — it is doing so because it has a shared strategic interest and a shared vision with these actors about eroding Western power. And Iran breaking out of the Middle East with this arms proliferation in what I fear may be one footnote to that larger story.”
Kuleba’s denunciation of Iran has been reinforced already by “evidence that has been provided by the intelligence services of various countries,” according to Borrell.
“But member states have called for all available evidence to be gathered in order to continue the corresponding work,” he said. “It wasn’t on the agenda today: We couldn’t make a decision on it yet, but the work continues. Ukraine is absolutely convinced that this is the case and will continue to provide evidence in this regard.”
President Joe Biden’s administration has echoed Kuleba’s public accusation and hinted at Iran’s expansion of aid.
“Iran continues to lie about this,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday. “Meanwhile, according to these new reports, Iran is considering selling still more destructive weapons to support an invasion they claim to oppose.”
Ukrainian officials sought to rally a diplomatic rebuke of Iran following a night of apparent drone strikes targeting Kyiv.
“For strikes, the enemy used cruise, aviation, and anti-aircraft guided missiles. In addition, the enemy continues to use Iranian-made Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicles,” Ukrainian military officials said in a Monday update on the conflict. “The threat of missile and airstrikes, as well as the use of ‘Shahed-136’ attack UAVs from the territory of the Republic of Belarus, remains.”
The strikes on Sunday, in conjunction with the return of Russian forces to Belarus, raise the specter of a renewed threat against the Ukrainian capital city, just months after Ukrainian forces repelled the Russian forces sent via Belarus to overthrow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“The target is to destroy all of Ukraine’s infrastructure, to leave people freezing, without electricity,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told reporters. “I repeat once again, this is not a war against the military. It is a war for the destruction of Ukrainians. They need a humanitarian disaster. And I appeal once again to our partners to provide modern air defense.”
Western European officials have calibrated their imposition of sanctions on Iran to remain in compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, which the United States exited in 2018 and Iran also has violated. Iranian officials have refused to agree to a rehabilitation of the pact, to the dismay of EU officials.
“The negotiation has been stalled in the last weeks,” Borrell said earlier Monday. “I don’t expect any move. It is a pity because we were very close.”
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In the meantime, Biden’s team has signaled a desire to intensify economic sanctions tailored to Iran’s growing role in the war in Ukraine.
“Are we going to do more about Iranian military sales to Russia? Absolutely, yes,” a U.S. official told Politico. “For anybody in the world who is either selling material to Iran that could be used for UAVs or ballistic missiles, or who is involved in flights between Iran and Russia: Do your due diligence because we are absolutely going to sanction anybody who’s helping Iranians help Russians kill Ukrainians.”
