The United States believes that Russian officials have started receiving drone training in Iran over the past several weeks amid the war in Ukraine, another indication of Moscow's intention to purchase such sophisticated weapons.
Per the deal for the handover of UAVs from Iran to Russia, Russian officials have been training in Iran over the past few weeks, a US official informed CNN. The source claimed that the training-related information had just lately been made public.
When asked about the drones by reporters last month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that Russia had "no comments on the matter."
US sources said that on June 28, 2021, an Iranian Shahed-129 drone was on show at an IRGC aerospace fair in western Tehran. In June this year, Iran reportedly started showing off the Shahed-129 and Shahed-191 drone models to Russia.
Russian Officials Reportedly Visit Iran To Examine Drones
According to national security adviser Jake Sullivan and satellite images obtained by CNN, a Russian group has visited an airstrip in central Iran at least twice since June to check the weapons-capable Iranian drones USA officials reported that Iran started demonstrating the Shahed-191 and Shahed-129 drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), to Russia in June at Kashan Airfield south of Tehran. Both models are capable of bearing precision-guided missiles.
Sullivan's claimed in July, the US suspects Iran intends to provide Russia with hundreds of Iranian drones it can utilize in the Russia-Ukraine War .
The Russian military has been utilizing home-built Orlan-10 drones for electronic warfare and reconnaissance, whereas the Ukrainian military has mostly used Bayraktar UAVs developed in Turkey to strike Russian command posts, tanks, and surface-to-air missile systems.
However, the Russians reportedly have had trouble replenishing their stock, which has caused them to look to Iran for the hardware.
Additionally, US officials have maintained that the strengthening ties between Iran and Russia give a valid reason for the USA to wield influence and presence in the Middle East.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called for "long-term cooperation" with Russia during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, and Tehran has declined to join the global rejection of the Russia-Ukraine War per The Times of Israel.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has appealed to the US to deliver tougher armed drones like the Gray Eagle, but the US has been hesitant to do so out of concern that Russia may see it as an excessively escalating move.
Russia's Plan To Buy Drones Indicate Its Military Weakness
Last month, the chief of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) claimed that Russia's intention to purchase drones from Iran for its conflict in Ukraine implies the vulnerable situation of its military force as reported by Bloomberg.
CIA Director William Burns noted during a three-hour visit to the Rocky Mountain resort of Aspen, Colorado, "It's true that the Russians are reaching out to the Iranians to try to acquire armed drones."
Burns said: "They need each other, they don't really trust each other, in the sense that they're energy rivals and historical competitors. It's important to remind ourselves that it's a reflection, in some ways, of the deficiencies of Russia's defense industry today, and the difficulties they're having after significant losses so far in the war against Ukraine."
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