Iran says US sending cluster bombs to Ukraine prolonging war

In a tweet on Sunday, Nasser Knaaani referred to the Pentagon announcement of sending a military aid package to Ukraine, including cluster bombs.

Kanaani said, “This is yet another example of America’s destabilizing actions and exports of arms that indiscriminately contribute to more killings and destruction.”

On Friday, the Pentagon announced an $800m military aid package to Ukraine including cluster munitions that ate widely banned.

Human rights groups have cried out against the decision, calling it “unnecessary and a terrible mistake.”

US President Joe Biden has defended the “difficult decision” to send cluster munitions to Ukraine.

Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries. They typically scatter numerous smaller bomblets over a wide area, sometimes as big as a football pitch, and can kill indiscriminately. Those that fail to explode threaten civilians, especially children, for decades after a conflict ends.

Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, told reporters at the White House: “We recognize that cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance.