Iran's leader says the US is the "root cause" of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

RT - Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, claims that Ukraine has been a victim of American policies designed to create crises around the world. Khamenei cited Washington's influence as the "root cause" of the current military conflict in Ukraine.

In a series of statements published Tuesday by Iranian media and on the supreme leader's Twitter page, Khamenei said that "the US dragged Ukraine to where it is now."

Among the actions by Washington that he believes led to the military confrontation with Russia were the alleged interference by the United States in the "internal affairs" of the Eastern European nation in the form of "creating color revolutions and overthrowing one government and putting another in power."

Khamenei noted that Iran "supports an end to the war in Ukraine."

Iran's supreme leader also said that the latest dramatic events in Ukraine should serve as an important lesson for other countries. One of the two main conclusions that can be drawn according to Khamenei is that the support of America and Europe for other countries is merely a "mirage and not real." The cleric went on to compare "today's Ukraine" to "yesterday's Afghanistan," in which both nations were "left in peace" by the US and Western governments.

The other important lesson Khamenei said could be learned from the Ukrainian crisis is that "the people are the most important support for governments." He went on to claim that the "people of Ukraine" did not "really approve of the government." According to Iran's supreme leader, if the Ukrainian government had had popular support, it would not be in its current situation.

For years, Iran has languished under sweeping sanctions imposed by the US and its Western allies, primarily because of its nuclear program. Russia has also been the target of an unprecedented series of sanctions by the US, EU, Canada, and various allies in Asia. The punitive measures came in response to the launch of a Russian military offensive in Ukraine on February 24, which, according to President Vladimir Putin, is not an attempt to occupy the country, but rather to "demilitarize and denazify" it. Ukraine and its allies, however, see these claims as a mere pretext for an "unprovoked" invasion.

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