Iran to Supply Combat Drones to Russia for Use in Ukraine War
Bendett added that Tehran could supply Moscow with drone parts that could then be assembled in Russia or even fitted with Russian parts.
‘Solidify Its Relationship With Russia’
Supplying Russia with drones could have significant ramifications for Tehran, observers said, making Iran an active supporter of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has been prompted criticism inside the Islamic republic.
Iran has officially said that it opposes the war and supports a cease-fire, while at the same time blaming “NATO provocations” for the conflict.
“Iran has clearly chosen its camp and does not seem to care about the reputational or financial costs of its alignment with Russia,” said Ali Vaez, the director of the Iran project at the International Crisis Group (ICG). “This is the strategic implication of Iran’s tactical partnership with Russia in Syria, which proved to be highly valuable to the leadership in Tehran.”
A handout picture provided by the Iranian Army shows an Iranian Simorgh drone carrying a weapon during a military exercise in September 2020 in the Persian Gulf, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, in southern Iran.
Moscow and Tehran were key allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during that country’s brutal civil war.
Bendett said Iran could use drone sales to solidify its relationship with Russia.
“Now, Iran has an opportunity to export something of its own to a country that is not only very important to it but a country that may rely on Iranian technology in the long term,” he said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to say if Moscow had any plans to purchase Iranian drones. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin was not planning to discuss the issue during his July 19 trip to Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian appeared to reject the U.S. claim. During a trip to Italy on July 13, Amir-Abdollahian told the La Repubblica daily that Iran would avoid taking any actions that could lead to an escalation in the war in Ukraine. He did not say if Iran’s military cooperation with Russia included the sales of combat drones.
“We have various forms of cooperation with Russia, including in the sphere of defense, but we are not helping either side involved in the [Ukrainian] conflict because we are certain that it should be ended,” Amir-Abdollahian was quoted as saying.
Iran’s Javan daily, which is affiliated with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), on July 12 suggested that those with “deep” knowledge of Tehran’s drone program were not surprised by Sullivan’s claim. The daily claimed that Iranian drones were “superior” to Chinese and in some cases “even to Western ones and those made by [Israel.]”
Javan claimed that Iranian drones could be useful to Russia for high-altitude and tactical reconnaissance missions, destroying targets in enemy territory, directing artillery fire, and electronic warfare.
“Iran also has requirements in some defense fields that can be met in the form of purchasing products or receiving scientific and technical cooperation and experiences from the Russian side,” the daily said.
Others in the country suggested that the U.S. claim was an attempt to raise pressure on Tehran and restore an international arms embargo against the Islamic republic that expired in 2020 in line with the 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and Iran.
“It seems that the United States is attempting to distort Iran’s neutrality policy for public opinion and put Iran in the hostile camp [along with Russia],” analyst Mohammad Gheysari told the news site Tabnak.
Golnaz Esfandiari is a senior correspondent for RFE/RL focusing on Iran.This article is reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
