“Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles]including weapon-capable UAVs, on an accelerated schedule,” Sullivan told a news conference.
Sullivan said the Iranians were preparing to train Russian forces to use the unmanned aerial vehicles as early as this month. It is unclear whether they have been handed over to the Russians at this time.
The national security adviser revealed the information to show the difficulty Russia faces in maintaining its own weapons stockpile as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine approaches its sixth month.
Sullivan made the comments while briefing reporters on President Biden’s upcoming trip to the Middle East. Biden is expected to depart for the trip later this week, traveling to Israel and then Saudi Arabia.
Iran and its nuclear program are expected to be topics of discussion during Biden’s trip. The Biden administration has sought to return to the Iran nuclear deal that former President Trump pulled out of during his tenure, but has so far failed to strike a deal.
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During his remarks to reporters, Sullivan noted that Iran provided similar weapons to the Houthis in Yemen to help launch attacks against Saudi Arabia before a ceasefire was brokered.
Sullivan expressed confidence that the Ukrainians, with the help of the US and other countries, will be able to “effectively defend and hold” the capital of Kiev, which Russia tried and failed to overtake at the start of the war.
He also argued that Russia has “already effectively failed to achieve its goals in Ukraine,” pointing in part to the failure to capture Kyiv.
