US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said it was unclear whether Iran had already provided any of the unmanned systems to Russia, but said the US had “intelligence” indicating Iran was preparing to train Russian forces to use them. use as soon as this month. “Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, including weapon-capable UAVs on an accelerated schedule,” he told reporters on Monday. Sullivan said it was proof that Russia’s crushing bombing of Ukraine, which has seen it consolidate gains in the east of the country in recent weeks, “has come at a cost to maintaining its 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 malign activities in the region will be a key topic of discussion. The US decision to publicly reveal that the two countries’ main regional rival was helping Russia rearm comes as both Israel and Saudi Arabia resist global efforts to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine because of their domestic interests. Sullivan also noted that Iran provided similar unmanned aerial vehicles to Yemen’s Houthi rebels to attack Saudi Arabia before a ceasefire was reached earlier this year.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war at
title: “White House Iran Is Preparing To Deliver Armed Drones To Russia " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-10” author: “Arthur Miller”
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Monday it believes Russia is reaching out to Iran to provide it with “hundreds” of unmanned aerial vehicles, including drones, for use in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said it was unclear whether Iran had already provided any of the unmanned systems to Russia, but said the US had “intelligence” indicating Iran was preparing to train Russian forces to use them. use as soon as this month.
“Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, including weapon-capable UAVs on an accelerated schedule,” he told reporters on Monday.
Sullivan said it was proof that Russia’s crushing bombing of Ukraine, which has seen it consolidate gains in the east of the country in recent weeks, “has come at a cost to maintaining its 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 malign activities in the region will be a key topic of discussion.
The US decision to publicly reveal that the two countries’ main regional rival was helping Russia rearm comes as both Israel and Saudi Arabia resist global efforts to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine because of their domestic interests.
Sullivan also noted that Iran 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 makes sense because “over the last 20 years or more Iran has been improving its drone combat power. Their drones do more fighting than the Russians.” They are pioneers of so-called roving munitions, the “kamikaze” drones like the Switchblade that the US has offered to Ukraine.
Iran has a “proven track record of flying drones hundreds of miles and hitting their targets,” Bedet added, including penetrating US-supplied air defenses and hitting Saudi oil refineries. He said Iranian drones could be very effective in hitting Ukrainian power plants, refineries and other critical infrastructure.
Bendett noted that before the Ukraine war, Russia had licensed drone technology for the Forpost UAV from a proven supplier: Israel. The Jewish state remained neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, so this source is no longer available to Moscow.
__
Associated Press writer Frank Bajak in Boston contributed to this report.
