US Claims Iran Plans to Supply Russian Forces With ‘Weapons-Capable’ Drones
02:14 GMT 12.07.2022 (Updated: 17:26 GMT 15.01.2023)
© AP Photo / Evan VucciWhite House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Monday, July 11, 2022, in Washington.
© AP Photo / Evan Vucci
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US officials claim Iran’s reported delivery of “several hundred” unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia is indicative of Moscow’s difficulty in sustaining a robust weapons stockpile as the conflict in Ukraine approaches six months.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan told White House reporters on Monday that US intelligence suggests Iran will be providing Russia with a rushed delivery of “weapons-capable” UAVs and other unmanned aircraft.
“Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline,” Sullivan said on Monday.
Furthermore, Tehran was slated to begin offering related training sessions as early as July, the national security official pointed out.
“It’s unclear whether Iran has delivered any of these UAVs to Russia already,” Sullivan noted.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan: "Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline." pic.twitter.com/mQXrKHPqKC
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 11, 2022
Sullivan’s revelation comes ahead of US President Joe Biden’s first trip to the Middle East since taking office.
The trip runs from Wednesday, July 13, through Saturday, July 16, and serves as an opportunity for the US administration to improve relations with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh, which Biden initially vowed to make a “pariah state.”
While Biden took a hard line with Saudi Arabia in November 2019, vowing to make Riyadh and MBS “pay the price” for approving the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the global fuel crisis may lead the US president to adopt a more diplomatic approach in dealing with the oil-rich kingdom’s leadership.
US intelligence agencies determined Khashoggi’s murder was approved by the Saudi crown prince; however, the report was rejected by MBS, as well as Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“It’s important to also emphasize that while we recalibrate relationships, we are not looking to rupture relationships,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre last month.
However, Sullivan plainly told reporters on Monday that Biden “intends to use every tool in his toolbox to try and create adequate global energy supplies and bring the price of gas down.”
The Saudi Embassy in Washington has said Riyadh extended the invitation to Biden “to strengthen the historical bilateral relations and the distinguished strategic partnership between” the two nations.
Biden will also travel to Israel and the West Bank to discuss a number of “challenges” facing the Middle East, including the murder of Palestinian American journalist Shireeen Abu Akleh, stalled US-Iranian talks on reviving the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, various terror groups, food crises exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine, the Syrian civil war, and “human rights standards,” according to Biden’s July 9 op-ed in the Washington Post.