State Department: Iran supplied drones to Russia

For several days in August, Iranian drones were loaded into Russian transport planes, which then flew from Iran to Russia, the State Department said.

“This first shipment is probably part of a Russian plan to import hundreds of Iranian drones of various types,” said Vedant Patel, deputy State Department spokesman.

According to Patel, Russian operators continue to be trained in Iran to operate these systems.

“According to our estimates, Russia intends to use these UAVs, which can conduct air-to-surface attacks, electronic warfare and targeting on the battlefield, in Ukraine,” he said.

“The Russian military in Ukraine suffers from severe supply shortages, in part because of sanctions and export control measures, which forces Russia to rely on unreliable sources, such as Iran, for supplies and equipment,” the State Department official continued. – In fact, according to our information, the UAVs associated with this transfer have already failed repeatedly. Russia’s deepening alliance with Iran is something that the rest of the world, and especially those in the region, should view as a serious threat.”

Patel said the U.S. will continue to “vigorously enforce U.S. sanctions against both the Russian and Iranian arms trade, and … work with our partners throughout the region to confront the Iranian threat.”