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Iran is set to deliver hundreds of unmanned aerial drones to Russia to support its invasion of Ukraine, according to the US National Security Advisor. President Putin is also expected to visit Iran later this month to attend a summit over peace in Syria.
It remains unclear whether Iran has provided Russia with these weapons already, but US sources indicate Iran plans to train Russian troops to use the weapons and deploy them by the end of July. Iran has provided similar unmanned drones to Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the past, which have been used in attacks on Saudi Arabia. Additionally, similar drones were used by Iran’s proxy Hezbollah to attack an Israeli offshore gas field only last week.
The US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan said: “Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAs, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expediated timeline”.
This comes alongside an announcement from the Kremlin that Putin plans to visit Iran and meet with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the Turkish Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The talks, planned for 19th July, will take place in Tehran, with the three expected to discuss peace in Syria. This will be President Putin’s second international visit since Russia invaded Ukraine.
