White House: Iran decides to deliver armed drones to Russia
The White House on Monday said it believed Russia was turning to Iran to provide it with “hundreds” of unmanned aerial vehicles, including armed drones, for use in its continuing invasion of Ukraine.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said it is unclear whether Iran has already supplied any of the unmanned systems to Russia, but said the US has “information” indicating that Iran is preparing to train Russian forces to use them as soon as this month.
“Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to supply Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, including UAVs with weapons capabilities on an accelerated timeline,” he told reporters on Monday.
Sullivan said it was proof that Russia’s overwhelming bombing raids in Ukraine, which have led to consolidating earnings in the east of the country in recent weeks, were “coming at a cost of sustaining their own weapons.”
Sullivan’s revelation comes on the eve of President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia, where Iran’s nuclear program and malicious activities in the region will be a key topic of discussion.
Sullivan noted that Iran supplied similar unmanned aircraft to Yemen’s Houthi rebels to attack Saudi Arabia before a ceasefire was reached earlier this year.
