Iran’s Ayatollah Blames Biden for Fomenting War in Ukraine

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday the war in Ukraine must be stopped and accused the Biden Administration of fomenting it.

Last week, Russia invaded Ukraine, which is a strategic partner of Tehran, which has been under Western sanctions for years. Tehran and Washington have been enemies for decades. However, Iran and Russia have developed ties and have been allies in Syria.

In a televised address, the leader of Iran Khamenei stated that the United States exacerbates crises, lives off of crises, and feeds on various crises in the world. Ukraine is another victim of this policy.

I believe Ukraine is a victim of a crisis fabricated by the Biden administration, he said. “We can learn a big lesson here. Countries relying on the U.S. for support need to realize they cannot be trusted.”

As talks between Tehran and world powers about reviving a 2015 nuclear deal reached a critical stage in Vienna, Khamenei criticized Washington and other Western nations.

Iran Failed to Fully Explain the Uranium Traces

An official told Reuters that the key sticking point in the talks is Tehran’s desire to permanently close off several old but undeclared nuclear sites. These sites are where traces of uranium have been found.

Tehran objects to claims by the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), that Theran failed to fully explain the uranium traces.

Stephanie Al-Qaq, Britain’s lead negotiator, defended the IAEA, saying Britain, France, and Germany opposed interfering with it.

“We will never compromise the independence of the IAEA,” she said on Twitter.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted on Monday that efforts to salvage the nuclear deal could succeed if Washington agrees to meet Tehran’s remaining demands as months of negotiations enter what an Iranian diplomat called a “now or never” phase.

It is high stakes because failure to reach an agreement after 10 months of talks could lead to renewed regional tension, more harsh sanctions on Tehran, and a sustained rise in world oil prices already affected by the war in Ukraine.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the remaining issues are the extent to which sanctions would be rolled back. In addition, they want guarantees that the United States won’t leave the pact again.

According to all parties involved in the talks, progress has been made toward the restoration of the pact to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

Tehran and Washington have said there are still significant differences to be resolved over the Iran nuclear deal.