- Russia wants more weapons from Iran, including “hundreds” of ballistic missiles.
- A senior British envoy on Friday said Russia was offering Iran “unprecedented” military support in return.
- For months, Russian forces have been using Iran-made suicide drones to terrorize Ukrainians.
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Russia wants to secure a massive shipment of ballistic missiles from Iran in exchange for offering the country “unprecedented” military support, a senior British envoy said on Friday.
“Russia is now trying to acquire more weapons, including hundreds of ballistic missiles. In return, Russia is offering Iran an unprecedented level of military and technical assistance,” Barbara Woodward, Britain’s permanent representative to the United Nations, told reporters after a security briefing council meeting.
She said the international governing body was “concerned that Russia intends to equip Iran with more advanced military components that would allow Iran to strengthen its weapons capability.”
Woodward didn’t elaborate or specify exactly what the military and technical support — or advanced components — might look like. However, senior officials in the Biden administration told NBC News that the equipment transfer includes air defense systems and helicopters.
The NBC report cited an example of recent support from Russia to Iran, revealing that Iranian pilots traveled to Russia in the spring to train on how to fly the Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet. On the other side of the partnership, Russian officials previously traveled to Iran to learn how to operate explosive drones, which would later become a weapon of choice for Moscow.
Woodward’s comments come a few days after Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, the top US intelligence official, said Russia is depleting its stockpiles of ammunition faster than the country is able to replenish them. That’s why US officials say Moscow is asking Iran for help.
For months, Russia has used Iranian-made drones — particularly the Shahed-136 suicide drone — to conduct deadly attacks on Ukrainian cities, targeting civilian areas and infrastructure. The White House initially warned about the partnership in the summer, but US officials later claimed it was a sign of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desperation.
A drone flies over Kiev during an attack on October 17, 2022. Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images
Western officials recently said Russia appears to be running out of Iranian-made drones, but they noted that Moscow is expecting a back-up. The assessment came after the UK Ministry of Defence divided In late November, there have been no reports of One Way Attack (OWA) drone strikes since November 17 – a reference to the Shahed-136.
Earlier this week, however, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said in a Facebook post that it shot down 14 Shahed-136 drones. This was announced by the British Ministry of Defense on Friday intelligence update that if these reports are confirmed, it is “likely” that Russia has used up its previous inventory of hundreds of Iranian-made drones and resumed its attacks with newly-supplied systems from Iran.
Beyond Iran’s cooperation with Russia in attacking Ukraine, US and Western officials have also raised concerns about Iran’s regional influence. For example, in recent weeks, US Navy forces have reported on several occasions about Iran’s malicious presence in waters in and around the Middle East. Most recently, earlier this week, an Iranian patrol boat attempted to blind the bridges of two US Navy ships
“Iran’s proliferation of arms poses a real and significant threat far beyond the region – to the entire international community – and jeopardizes the work of the Security Council, not only on Ukraine but on many other issues,” he said Woodward of Great Britain at the United Nations on Friday.