SUMMARY
- White House reveals Russia's utilization of Iranian-built UAVs against Ukraine, signaling deeper defense collaboration.
- Russia and Iran are reportedly cooperating to build a drone manufacturing facility within Russia's borders.
- Iran is negotiating for billions of dollars' worth of Russian military equipment, highlighting mutual defense support.
The U.S. administration declared on Friday, asserting an intensification in the strategic alliance between Russia and Iran. The pivot of this announcement was the delivery of hundreds of assault drones from Iran to Russia, subsequently utilized against Ukraine.
Drawn from declassified sources, the revelation elucidates that Iran manufactured these Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), then shipped them across the Caspian Sea for Russia's utilization against Ukraine. John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House, expressed growing concern about the apparent deepening of Russia-Iran military collaboration, particularly noting their employment in recent assaults on Kyiv.
Alarmingly, it seems Russia and Iran are working in unison to construct Iranian UAVs within Russia's boundaries. Information suggests that Iran is supplying essential materials to Russia, with the objective of erecting a fully-functioning drone manufacturing facility by early next year. An accompanying release of satellite imagery indicates the prospective location for this plant in Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone.
Previous instances have seen U.S. sanctions against Iranian executives from a defense manufacturing company for providing drone supplies to Russia. Iran has openly admitted to sending drones to Russia, albeit, it insists these were dispatched prior to Russia's invasion in February. In contrast, a White House official stated that several hundred drones were transferred from Iran to Russia since August.
The reciprocity of support is evident between Iran and Russia, as the former is believed to be negotiating a multibillion-dollar deal for Russian military equipment, including helicopters and radars. Kirby underlines that such extensive defense collaboration is detrimental not only to Ukraine but also to Iran's neighbors and the global community. The U.S. continues to wield all means at its disposal to counter these activities, he confirmed.
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