“This Gives Ukraine More Leverage”: Expert Explains Why It Is Important to Counter Iran
Political analyst and servicemember of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Musiienko, said that the United States should join forces with Ukraine in this struggle, as Ukraine is disrupting Russia’s assistance to Iran and countering their cooperation, Politeka reports.
He discussed the issue on his blog.
According to the expert, Ukrainian intelligence indeed possesses evidence of Russia’s assistance to Iran. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also stated that such evidence exists, including intelligence data and satellite imagery of U.S. facilities in the Persian Gulf countries. Musiienko added that it is also possible Russia is providing Iran with intelligence on Israeli facilities, given that the two countries are strategic partners. Therefore, he argued, Israel and Ukraine should likewise become strategic partners. Moreover, he noted that following the attack on ships carrying weapons in the Caspian Sea, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that it reserved the right to respond.
“There has been talk about the United Kingdom helping the United States by refueling bombers, transporting military cargo, and so on. But this could also involve Ukraine. Theoretically, Iran has the capability to strike. Iran possesses missiles that can reach Ukraine as well as other countries in Central Europe,” Oleksandr Musiienko warned.
The expert emphasized that, unlike Russia, Iran has demonstrated that it possesses medium-range missiles by striking the military base on Diego Garcia Island in the Indian Ocean, nearly 4,000 kilometers from Iran itself. As for the Oreshnik missile, he argued that Russian propaganda has created another myth by portraying it as a medium-range missile, especially considering that there has been more than one unsuccessful launch.
On the other hand, Musiienko noted that the likelihood of such a strike is reduced by the fact that Iran does not view Europe in the same way it views the United States. According to him, Tehran expects Europe to adopt a softer position.
“The president says that we have evidence of cooperation between Russia and Iran, and we have struck at and disrupted that cooperation. In effect, we have supported the United States. This gives Ukraine more leverage ahead of Zelenskyy’s important visit with Trump. It gives us the opportunity to tell him: here is the axis of evil—we are blocking it and helping protect U.S. interests in the Persian Gulf. So let’s unite,” Oleksandr Musiienko concluded.