Washington accuses Iran of supplying drones to Russia
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has claimed that Iran is preparing to deliver drones to Russia. "Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred drones, including weapons-capable drones, on an accelerated timeline," Sullivan explained during a press conference at the White House. The senior US official also noted that Iran provided similar weapons to the Houties, a Shiite militia it supports in the Yemen war, to launch attacks against Saudi Arabia.
Watch: National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says the #US has information that #Iran is preparing to provide #Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, "including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline."https://t.co/rWVKH0gWj2 pic.twitter.com/yP3YzHYxZG
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) July 12, 2022
Sullivan said that, according to information obtained, Iran is preparing "to train Russian forces in the use of these unmanned aerial vehicles, with initial training sessions scheduled to begin in early July". Sullivan stressed, however, that it is "unclear" whether Iran has already delivered any of these drones. A National Security Council spokesman relayed to CNN that the information Sullivan provided to reporters was based on "recently disqualified intelligence".
Drones have played a key role on both sides of the war. These weapons have been used to launch missiles as well as for reconnaissance. While Turkish Bayraktar drones have been popular in the Ukrainian ranks, Russian troops have used Orlan-10 drones.
Sullivan's remarks come a day before US President Joe Biden begins his Middle East tour. Biden will begin his tour of the region in Israel, and from there he will travel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he will meet with several Middle Eastern leaders. He is also scheduled to travel to the West Bank and meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Among the issues to be discussed during the trip are the future of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, as well as Iran's nuclear programme and its activities in the region.
Iran is not the first country the US has accused of military support for Russia. In March, reports suggested that Russia had requested arms assistance from China, but this was denied by both Moscow and Beijing. Iran, like the Asian giant, has not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has not changed its relations with Moscow since the beginning of the war.
In January, as tensions on the Russian-Ukrainian border escalated, Russian President Vladimir Putin invited his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, to Moscow. During the meeting, they discussed bilateral ties and agreed to confront "the power of the Americans with greater cooperation between the two countries", according to The New York Times.
Moreover, in June Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister, travelled to Tehran days before the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, did. During his stay in the Iranian capital, Lavrov agreed with his counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahain, to 'further improve bilateral cooperation'. They also concluded that "arbitrary and extraterritorial sanctions are illegitimate".
Russian-Iranian contacts continue. Proof of this is a summit meeting scheduled for Wednesday 19 July in Tehran between Putin, Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to the Kremlin.
According to Sullivan, the fact that Iran is preparing a supply of drones for Russia shows that Russia's latest attacks on Ukraine come at a "high cost to the maintenance of its own weapons". In recent weeks, Russian troops have concentrated their military efforts in the Donbas region. Despite strong Ukrainian resistance, cities such as Lisichansk and Severodonetsk have fallen into Russian hands, while others such as Kramatorsk and Bakhmut are expected to intensify attacks.
Even so, Sullivan stressed that Russia "has already largely failed to achieve its objectives in Ukraine". The National Security Advisor mentioned the failed takeover of Kiev, as well as the elimination of "Ukrainian identity" and Ukraine's integration into Russia.
"We will continue to do our part to help maintain Ukraine's effective defence and to help Ukrainians demonstrate that the Russian effort to try to wipe Ukraine off the map cannot succeed," Sullivan said. The United States is being a key pillar for the Ukrainian military. The Biden Administration has approved millions of dollars in military assistance and has sent tons of weapons to Kiev to confront Russian troops even before 24 February, the day the invasion began.
In this sense, Sullivan explained that Washington's main objective is to get the Ukrainians "into the strongest possible position on the battlefield so that they will be in a favourable position at the negotiating table when the time comes for diplomacy".
Americas Coordinator: José Antonio Sierra.
