The White House released new details of deepening cooperation between Russia and Iran on the production of military drones, including the supply routes Iran uses to send its drones to the front lines in Ukraine and the possible locations of Russian factories to produce them.
The messages are part of a steady stream of declassified intelligence about military ties between Moscow and Tehran, as Washington seeks to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war and starve him of military equipment.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said: “The drones were built in Iran, shipped from Amirabad in Iran to the Caspian Sea, shipped to Makhachkala in Russia, and were then used by Russian forces against Ukraine. “We are also concerned that Russia is collaborating with Iran to produce Iranian drones from Russian territory.”
The United States has released satellite imagery of Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone, which it says shows where Moscow may be producing Iranian drones. Kirby said the U.S. has information that Russia is receiving materials from Iran to build a drone manufacturing base.
“We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to expose and disrupt these campaigns, including by sharing them with the public, and we are prepared to do more,” Kirby said.
The United States announced a new government advisory on Friday to inform businesses and governments about the risks of Iran’s drone program and the illegal ways Tehran is securing supplies for it. It previously blacklisted individuals and businesses allegedly involved in transferring Iranian military equipment to Russia for use in Ukraine, and worked with European partners to impose restrictions to prevent electronic components found in Iranian drones from ending up on Ukrainian battlefields .
Iranian-made drones have been a key part of Russia’s intensified airstrikes against Ukraine in October. Drones have been used to strike critical infrastructure and residential targets in Kiev, many of which resulted in the deaths of Ukrainian civilians.
Moscow further escalated its airstrikes on the Ukrainian capital last month, bombing at least 18 times in 31 days, firing dozens of Shahed drones as well as cruise missiles and other rockets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an evening speech last month that “some 1,160 Shaheds have been used against Ukraine” and that its air defenses “have so far shot down nearly 900 of them.” drones”.
In an appeal to Tehran’s leaders and “every Iranian family,” Zelensky also asked: “Why would you be an accomplice to Russian terror? . . . Why does Iran need this cynical murder from Russia hands, but use your weapons?”
Satellite imagery and intelligence released by the United States last year suggested that Iran had sold hundreds of attack drones to Moscow. Last month, the White House warned that Russia was looking to buy more attack drones from Iran after using up most of the 400 drones it had previously bought from Tehran. Kirby said on Friday that Russia had received hundreds of one-way attack drones and drone production-related equipment from Iran as of May.
President Biden’s administration has also warned that Iran is considering selling hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia, but so far no such deal has been struck.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last month that Russia and Iran were “very adaptable to U.S. pressure” and would “continue to build relations based on mutual benefit and respect, taking into account each other’s interests and concerns.” . He said Russia had “never had the illusion” that the United States would stop putting pressure on countries that “seek truly mutually beneficial cooperation”.
Iran denies taking sides in the war in Ukraine or selling drones to Russia for battlefield use. But Iranian military commanders have expressed interest in strengthening military ties with Moscow, notably buying Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets to revive its air force.
Additional reporting by Max Seddon in Riga and Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran