Britain Accuses Russia of Planning to Give Advanced Military Components in Exchange for Hundreds of Iranian Kamikaze Drones

British Defense Minister Ben Wallace. (Wikimedia Commons/US Secretary of Defense)

JAKARTA - Britain has accused Russia of planning to provide Iran with advanced military components in exchange for hundreds of drones, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Tuesday.

"Iran has been one of Russia's main military backers," Minister Wallace told parliament, as part of a statement on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, cited from Reuters, December 20.

"In return for supplying more than 300 kamikaze drones, Russia now intends to provide Iran with advanced military components, which undermine Middle East and international security, we have to unravel the deal. In fact, I just did," he said.

Minister Wallace did not provide details on the type of military component he said Russia would like to provide Iran.

Separately, Russia's Defense Ministry and Iran's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

Britain, along with its Western allies, provided military aid to Ukraine after the invasion, which Russia called a "special operation" to demilitarize its neighbor and flush out nationalists.

Earlier on Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told Iran's foreign minister that Tehran should immediately end military support for Russia.

Iran has acknowledged sending drones to Russia, but says they were sent before Moscow invaded Ukraine in February. Meanwhile, Moscow has denied its troops used Iranian drones in Ukraine.

On Monday, Russia struck Ukraine with dozens of "kamikaze" drones, hitting critical infrastructure in and around Kyiv in Moscow's third airstrike against the Ukrainian capital in less than a week.

"Kamikaze" or "suicide" drones are cheaply produced, single-use drones that fly toward their target, before crashing at high speed and exploding on impact.

Britain, the United States and the European Union have sanctioned Iranian military figures and defense manufacturers believed to be involved in supplying Iranian drones to Russia.