March 1 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that changes in Iran brought about by U.S. and Israeli attacks should be “appropriately exploited” to benefit the country’s people who have suffered violence from the authorities.
In a nightly video address, Zelensky said Iranian authorities had “killed tens of thousands of people in the past few months alone,” referring to a crackdown on protests.
He said Iran had “predetermined its treatment” by providing attack drones to Russia during Moscow’s four-year conflict with Ukraine and was also “fomenting war in the region.”
“It is important to properly exploit this opportunity of change in Iran,” he said. “The Iranian people have long been isolated and endured violence while opposing the Iranian regime.”
He reiterated his argument after the attacks began on Saturday that U.S. resolve “brings results.”
Zelensky thanked “all those who worked to prevent the spread of war” and said Russia should pay attention to what happened to Iran’s leaders so that “justice is finally served.”
Zelensky said on Saturday that Moscow launched more than 57,000 Iranian-designed Shahd drones into Ukraine during the war.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Bogdan Kochube; Editing by Nick Ziminski)