The White House on Friday issued a stark warning once morest the ever-deepening “large-scale military partnership” between Tehran and Moscow, which in turn denied needing military support from anyone in Ukraine.
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While Iran is already supplying the Russian army with drones used in Ukraine, John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council of the American executive, indicated that in return, Russia “offered Iran an unprecedented level of military and technical support”, which “transforms their relationship into a full defense partnership”.
This development is “harmful” for Ukraine, the neighboring countries of Iran and “the international community”, he added, announcing in the same spirit sanctions once morest three Russian entities particularly active in the acquisition and the dissemination of Iranian drones.
According to American intelligence, Moscow and Tehran plan in particular to launch joint production of “killer” drones in Russia, said John Kirby, without giving further details on the progress of the project.
The spokesperson also recalled that Iran was considering selling Russia “hundreds” of ballistic missiles, information that the Americans had already made public.
“Help goes both ways,” said John Kirby.
Combat aircraft
For its part, Moscow is indeed preparing, according to the United States, to provide Iran with “sophisticated” equipment, helicopters, anti-aircraft defense systems and fighter planes, the spokesman said. .
Reporting reports that Iranian pilots had started training in Russia on SU-35s, Russian fighter jets, John Kirby said that “Iran may receive planes next year”, which ” would significantly increase” Tehran’s air capabilities.
The UK’s ambassador to the United Nations, Barbara Woodward, also issued an accusatory statement once morest Iran and Russia. “Russia denies (the existence of) these projects. But they also denied that they were going to invade Ukraine, so we don’t believe them,” she said.
The British Foreign Office for its part denounced the “sordid transactions” between Moscow and Tehran.
“We are asking Iran to change course,” John Kirby said of both the proposed missile sale and that of a joint drone production line.
“We will use all means at our disposal to expose and disrupt these activities and we are ready to do more,” the spokesperson said.
At a meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday followingnoon on the issue of arms supply to both sides in the war in Ukraine, Russia once more denied receiving weapons from Tehran, without mentioning US accusations of its own support for Iran.
“The Russian military-industrial complex is doing very well and does not need anyone’s support,” said Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia, noting that he had “refuted on several occasions” these accusations.
On the contrary, he considered that “the Ukrainian military industry does not exist”, denouncing a “proxy war” waged by the United States and its allies by delivering weapons to Kiev at the risk of this equipment ending up on other lands in the hands of “terrorists”.
“This situation is spiraling out of control to the point that armaments for Kiev are now appearing on the black market not only in Europe, but also in the Middle East and Africa,” added the ambassador who had called for the meeting to discuss this particular point.
Regarding the new sanctions announced Friday once morest Russia, the US State Department clarified that they target three entities specially responsible for procuring drones in Iran, transporting them and training Russians in their use, particularly in Ukraine. “in large-scale attacks on civilian infrastructure”.
These are the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS), the 924th State Center for Unmanned Aviation and the Military Transport Command (VTA), according to a statement.
The United States is also considering, according to John Kirby, “other export control measures” supposed to “restrict Iran’s access to sensitive technologies”.
