US says drone sales encourage training of Russian officials in Iran

ohAccording to information provided by the US State Department, Russian officials have been training on Iranian territory for the past few weeks as part of an agreement between the two countries to sell drones. Reuters quoted here.

In this regard, US State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters on Thursday that Russian military personnel had been trained in the use of drones in Iran “in recent weeks”.

The same source also noted that following the deal, the United States will impose “severe” sanctions on Russian and Iranian arms trade. According to Patel, exchanges of drones between the two countries are “potentially sanctioned” by “multiple authorities”.

“We are incredibly concerned about the use and proliferation of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) by Iran,” the same US spokesman added. Specifically, he reasoned, they “have been used to attack U.S. forces, our partners in the region, and international navigation agencies.”

The reports come after US government officials said last month that Washington had information that Iran was preparing to deliver several hundred drone units to Russia.

Iran, which has supplied drones to its allies in the Middle East, has now raised concerns that it is supporting Russia behind its invasion of Ukraine.

At the time, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian – including a phone call with his Ukrainian foreign minister – denied the information.

Also read: Russia does not support militarization around the Zaporizhia plant