Russia is turning to Iran to provide it with “hundreds” of unmanned aerial vehicles, including weapons-capable drones, for the country’s ongoing war with Ukraine, a White House official said on Monday.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said it was unclear if Iran had actually provided any weapons to Vladimir Putin’s forces in Europe.
However he added that the US has “information” that indicates Tehran is preparing to train Russian soldiers to use the drones as soon as this month.
“Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline,” he told reporters.
Mr Sullivan said it was proof the Russia’s overwhelming bombardments in Ukraine, which have led it to consolidate gains in the country’s east in recent weeks, was “coming at a cost to the sustainment of its own weapons.”
The revelation comes on the eve of president Joe Biden’s trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia, where Iran‘s nuclear program will be top of the agenda.
Mr Sullivan added that Iran has provided similar unmanned aerial vehicles to Yemen’s Houthi rebels to attack Saudi Arabia before a ceasefire was reached earlier this year.
Military analyst Samuel Bendett of the CNA think tank said Russia’s choice of Iran as a source for drones is logical because “for the last 20 years or more Iran has been refining its drone combat force. Their drones have been in more combat than the Russians’.”
He said the Iranian drones could be very effective at striking Ukrainian power stations, refineries and other critical infrastructure.
Mr Bendett added that before the Ukraine war, Russia had licensed drone technology for its Forpost UAV from Israel.
However the state has remained neutral in Russia’s war with Ukraine, so that source of drone techonology is no longer available.
Additonal reporting by AP
