Iran plans to supply hundreds of drones with combat weapons capabilities in Russia for use in Ukraine, a senior U.S. official said Monday.
Jake Sullivan, a White House national security adviser, said the information received by the U.S. supported views that the Russian military faces challenges in maintaining its armaments after major losses in Ukraine.
“The Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to a few hundred UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), including UAVs with weapons, on an accelerated schedule,” Sullivan told reporters.
“Our information further indicates that Iran is preparing to train Russian forces to use these UAVs, with initial training sessions scheduled to begin as early as early July,” he said.
Sullivan said it was unclear whether Iran had yet delivered any of the drones to Russia.
He also noted that Iran has provided unmanned aerial vehicles similar to Yemen’s Houthis rebels to attack Saudi Arabia before a ceasefire was reached earlier this year.
Sullivan’s revelation comes on the eve of President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia, where Iran’s nuclear program and malicious activities in the region will be a key topic of discussion.
The U.S. decision to publicly reveal that the two countries’ main regional rival was helping rearm Russia comes when both Israel and Saudi Arabia have resisted joining global efforts to punish Russia for its invasion of Russia. Ukraine because of its internal interests.