Biden administration officials say Russia is facing technical problems with an Iranian-made drone it acquired from Tehran this month for use in its war with Ukraine.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the assessment of the U.S. intelligence service, did not provide details of the many failures. “
They said the U.S. assessed that deliveries of Mohajer-6 and Shahed series unmanned aerial vehicles over several days this month were likely part of Russia’s plan to acquire hundreds of Iranian UAVs. added.
The Associated Press reported last week that Russia recently acquired hundreds of Iranian-made drones that could be used in a war with Ukraine, despite US warnings not to ship them to Tehran. The Washington Post was the first to report that Russia is facing technical problems with Iran’s drone.
Russian operators continue to receive training in Iran on how to use these systems, which can conduct air-to-ground strikes, electronic warfare and targeting on Ukrainian battlefields, officials said.
The Biden administration released satellite images last month showing Russian officials visited Kashan Airfield on June 8 and July 5 to inspect Iranian drones. At the time, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan claimed the administration had information that the Iranian government was preparing to provide hundreds of UAVs to Russia.
Russia, which faces economic sanctions and supply chain restrictions from its invasion of Ukraine, is looking to Iran as a major partner and arms supplier. Russian aircraft had carried UAV equipment at Iranian airfields for several days this month before the weapons were flown to Russia, officials said.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday that the government had no update on whether the drones had been delivered. He added that the U.S. sees nothing to reassure us, and that procurement and delivery are still looming and are still offshore.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdulahian said last month that Tehran has various kinds of cooperation with Russia, including in the defense sector.
But we will not help either side involved in this war because we believe the war needs to stop, he said.
Administration officials have confirmed details that Iran is supplying drones to Russia as the White House tries to persuade Tehran to resume compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal.
The administration last week completed a review of Iran’s comments on Europe’s proposal to reopen a deal that was brokered during President Barack Obama’s administration and was scrapped in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump.
(Only the headlines and photos in this report may have been modified by Business Standard staff. The rest of the content is auto-generated from syndicated feeds.)
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