Global Courant
Iran is sending materials to Russia to help Moscow build a drone factory that could be operational next year, as part of a “deepening” military partnership between the two countries, the Biden administration said Friday. Officials also said Tehran supplied hundreds of armed drones to Russia last month for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Warning of growing defense ties between Iran and Russia, the Biden administration has released a satellite image of what it says is the planned site of a drone production plant in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan.
The White House also described how Iranian-made drones are transported to Russia and released an image to illustrate the route. The drones will be “shipped across the Caspian Sea, from Amirabad, Iran, to Makhachkala, Russia, and then used operationally by Russian forces against Ukraine,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
An image taken by the White House illustrates the route taken by the Iranian-made drones as they are shipped across the Caspian Sea from Amirabad, Iran, to Makhachkala, Russia. They are then used operationally to attack Ukraine from Russian military bases. White House
“Since May, Russia has received hundreds of UAVs for one-way strikes, as well as UAV production-related equipment, from Iran,” Kirby added, using a military acronym for drones, unmanned aerial vehicles.
Kirby said Russia had been using Iranian drones to attack Kiev in recent weeks, which has experienced a massive increase in airstrikes. He said Moscow “has offered Iran unprecedented defense cooperation, including in missiles, electronics and air defense” in return for Iran supplying Russia with kamikaze drones.
Iran has denied supplying Russia with drones for the war in Ukraine, but has announced plans to strengthen its defense cooperation with Moscow, including the purchase of Russian fighter jets and other military equipment. The Russian embassy in Washington and Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In March, Iran announced a deal to buy Russian Su-35 fighter jets to replace its aging fleet of military aircraft. Iran has also expressed interest in purchasing Russian attack helicopters, radars and YAK-130 combat trainer aircraft.
A satellite photo and graphic showing U.S. intelligence indicates that Moscow and Tehran are planning to build a drone manufacturing facility in Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone. White House
“In all, Iran is seeking billions of dollars in military equipment from Russia,” said Kirby, calling the terms “a full defense partnership that is detrimental to Ukraine, to Iran’s neighbors and to the international community.”
The statement was the latest example of the Biden administration publicly releasing intelligence information to try to undermine Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The United States has imposed a series of sanctions on organizations or individuals allegedly involved in the transfer of Iranian drones to Russia and has enacted export controls to prevent Russia from acquiring electronic components needed to operate Iranian drones.
The government also issued an advisory to “help governments and companies take steps to ensure they do not inadvertently contribute to Iran’s UAV program.” Officials also said the US is working to provide Ukraine with air defense systems needed to counter Russian drone and missile attacks.
Henry Rome, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank, said Iran’s supply of drones to Russia poses a “difficult problem for Western powers given the direct air and sea routes between Iran and Russia.”
“We can try to expose and deter this activity, and in the long run complicate the relationship by restricting technology flows,” Rome said. “But it may take some time for these steps to bear fruit.
Carol E. Lee contributed.
