Since August 2022, Iran has supplied Russia with almost 400 drones. This is reported by the Associated Press.
"Iran also continues to supply Russia with attack drones. Since August, Iran has provided the Russian Federation with more than 400 drones, mostly of the Shahed type. Russia spent most of these drones on attacks on critical infrastructure in Ukraine," the White House National Security Council official John Kirby noted.
According to him, the Russians are now considering the possibility of acquiring even more advanced drones, "capable of causing more losses." The US officials say Iran has also provided Russia with artillery and tank shells.
At the same time, according to the White House, Iran is seeking to purchase additional military equipment from Russia, including attack helicopters, radars and Yak-130 combat training aircraft.
Kirby added that Iran is the main military patron of Russia since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.
- On March 8, the British TV channel Sky News reported that Iran secretly transferred millions of ammunition and hundreds of thousands of shells to Russia by sea. For its part, Russia is sending captured Western weapons to Iran from Ukraine, and they are trying to redesign them in Tehran.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has already accused Iran of complicity in the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine due to the supply of weapons to Russia and initiated the severance of diplomatic relations with Iran. On April 20, it became known that the Russians received a new batch of Iranian drones — this is evidenced by the markings on the downed Shaheds.
- On March 27, The Wall Street Journal wrote that Russia is supplying Iran with cyber weapons in exchange for drones, and in April — that Iran has transferred 300 000 artillery shells to Russia over the past six months.