Moscow had reached an agreement with Tehran to produce the drones used in the war in Ukraine on Russian territory. This was revealed by The Washington Post, citing American and Western intelligence sources that Russian and Iranian officials finalized the deal during a meeting in Iran in early November. The two countries are said to be moving quickly to transfer key designs and components that could allow production to begin within months, three sources with knowledge of the matter said.
The deal, if fully implemented, would further strengthen the Russian-Iranian alliance, which has already provided crucial support to Moscow’s stalled military campaign in Ukraine, the sources told the US newspaper. By acquiring its own assembly line, Moscow could dramatically increase its arsenal of relatively inexpensive but highly destructive weapons systems that have changed the character of the Ukraine conflict in recent weeks.
For Moscow, the deal could meet precision-guided munitions needs, which are in short supply after nine months of fighting, and offer Iran economic and political benefits. New sanctions have been imposed in recent weeks precisely because of the kamikaze drones used by Russia against Ukrainian civilians. If the UAVs were produced on Russian territory, Tehran might consider avoiding further restrictive measures, intelligence officials stress.
The Washington Post writes that the details of the deal between Iran and Russia were defined during the meeting in early November, which involved a group of Russian defense industry negotiators who traveled to Tehran to finalize the logistics. A separate delegation led by Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev traveled to Tehran on November 9 to discuss economic sanctions and other “Western interference” in their respective governments’ affairs, among other issues. One of the officials briefed on the secret deal described “an aggressive effort” by both countries to facilitate the production of Iranian-design drones in Russia: “From decision-making to implementation, they are moving fast.”
“Iran and Russia may lie to the world, but they cannot hide the facts: Tehran helps kill Ukrainian civilians by supplying arms and supporting Russia’s operations. This is another sign of how isolated both Iran and are also Russia – National White House Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson commented: “The United States, with allies and partners, is pursuing all means to uncover Iran’s supply of these munitions and “Russia’s use of it against the Ukrainian people.” deter and respond. We will continue to provide Ukraine with the critical security assistance it needs to defend itself, including air defense systems.”
Iran’s United Nations Mission in New York declined to comment on the specific allegations in response to questions about the drone technology-sharing deal. However, a spokesman acknowledged that Iran and Russia “enjoyed a bilateral defense, scientific and research cooperation that took place before the beginning of the Ukraine conflict”.