Russia and Iran have reportedly reached an agreement on the assembly of Iranian drones on Russian soil in order to avoid suspicions about the use of Iranian drones in Ukraine and to maintain their formal neutrality stance, The Washington Post has revealed, citing Western sources.
The deal was finalized in early November in Tehran and the transfer of designs and key components to start production has already begun, according to three sources familiar with the matter who have seen documentation from Western secret services, the Post reports.
Russia will thus be able to greatly increase its stockpile of relatively cheap but highly destructive weapons, as it is estimated that since August Russia has used more than 400 Iranian-made drones in Ukraine. Many of these devices have been used to attack civilian infrastructure, such as power plants.
These explosive drones are remotely detonated to destroy electrical and water supply systems affecting millions of people.
Iran, in return, would gain significant economic and political benefits, according to sources, and there is already speculation about a possible nuclear technology transfer agreement. Tehran also hopes that the agreement will prevent the imposition of new Western sanctions.
Documentation proving this agreement would be available to several NATO countries, including the United States, but so far no capital has confirmed it. The closest thing has been a statement by a spokeswoman for the US National Security Council, Adrienne Watson, who commented on the information: «Iran and Russia can lie to the world, but they can’t hide the facts. Tehran is helping to kill Ukrainian civilians by supplying weapons and assisting Russia in its operations. It is another sign of how isolated Iran and Russia are,» he told the Post.
«The United States — along with all of its allies and partners — seeks by all means to expose, deter and confront Iran’s provision of these munitions and their use against the Ukrainian people. We will continue to provide Ukraine with the security assistance it needs to defend itself, including anti-aircraft systems,» he said.
