JAKARTA - Newly declassified US intelligence reveals that Iran is expected to supply Russia with "hundreds" of drones, including armed drones, for use in the war in Ukraine, a White House official has said.
Furthermore, the official said that Tehran is also ready to provide training for Moscow troops on how to operate the drones given as early as possible.
"Information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred (unmanned aerial vehicles), including weapons-capable UAVs at an accelerated rate," national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at a White House press conference.
"Our information further indicates that Iran is preparing to train Russian troops to use these UAVs, with an initial training session scheduled for early July. It is not clear whether Iran has delivered any of these UAVs to Russia," he continued.
A spokesman for the White House National Security Council told CNN that the information Sullivan explained to reporters was based on recently disclosed intelligence.
Sullivan argued that the news about Iran supplying the drones was proof that Russia's attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks came at a severe cost, due to the depletion of its own weapons.
News of Iran's supply of drones to Russia comes a day before President Joe Biden's first trip to the Middle East since taking office, with stops in Israel and Saudi Arabia. Iran's actions in the region and its nuclear program are said to be the main topic of discussion.
Sullivan on Monday raised how similar drones were given by Iran to Yemen's Houthi rebels to attack Saudi Arabia before a ceasefire took effect earlier this year.
Drones have been a key component of the war in Ukraine on both sides, with the Ukrainian military using the Turkish-made Bayraktar UAVs to destroy Russian command posts, tanks and surface-to-air missile systems.
Russia uses its own Orlan-10 drone for reconnaissance and electronic warfare. But in nearly five months of the war, the number of drones on each side has dwindled from being shot down or downed.
Ukraine's allies, including Lithuania and Poland, have started a fundraising campaign to buy new Bayraktar drones for the Ukrainian military, and the US has provided Ukraine with tiny kamikaze drones called Switchblades. The US is also considering whether to provide Ukraine with a larger drone that can be armed with Hellfire missiles.
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But Russia, now believed by the US, appears to have turned to Iran to help replenish its drone stockpile. However, it is unclear how advanced or effective the drones will be.
Russia had previously asked China for help to support its war in Ukraine, US officials said in March. As of late May, the US had seen no evidence that China had provided Russia with military or economic support for the invasion, Sullivan told reporters at the time.
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