According to Bill Burns, relations between Tehran and Moscow are “already having an impact on the battlefield in Ukraine
According to the head of the CIA, Russia is now seeking to help Iran in its attempts to assert its influence in the Middle East, which he believes would pose a threat to US allies in the region. “What is beginning to emerge is at least the beginnings of a full defense partnership between Russia and Iran, with the Iranians supplying drones to the Russians, who are killing Ukrainian civilians right now,” said Bill Burns in an interview with the American channel PBS on Friday.
“The Russians are starting to look for ways to support, technologically or technically, the Iranians, which poses a real threat to Iran’s neighbors and to many of our friends and partners in the region of Iran,” he said. he added, without naming any of these countries. Bill Burns added that relations between Tehran and Moscow were “already having an impact on the battlefield in Ukraine, once more costing the lives of many innocent Ukrainians”.
“I think it can have an even more dangerous impact on the Middle East if it continues. So it’s something we take very, very seriously,” he added. Iran supplied suicide drones to Russia, which used them to strike civilian targets and infrastructure during its invasion of Ukraine. The EU said it had evidence that Iran sold drones to Russia from the start of the invasion in February.
Earlier this month, NBC reported that Russia provided an “unprecedented level” of military and technical support to Iran, in exchange for the weapons Tehran provided for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. In addition to drones, Tehran is also reportedly considering supplying Moscow with ballistic missiles. “This partnership poses a threat not only to Ukraine, but also to Iran’s neighbors in the region,” an unnamed senior Biden administration official told NBC. “We have shared this information with our partners in the Middle East and around the world,” he added.
