United States officials revealed that the Islamic Republic of Iran has agreed to aid Russia with attack drones for its ongoing war in Ukraine, according to a new report by the Washington Post. The reports, based on intelligence sources comes as Russian forces retreat from Kyiv, relying on outside military support.
Since February, Russian President Vladimir Putin's unprovoked war on Ukraine has persisted despite Russian military forces retreating from areas in Southern Ukraine in recent days.
Over the past several months, reports of war crimes, like rape and torture against Ukrainian civilians have surfaced, with suicide drones from Iran used to spread "terror and chaos," according to experts. According to reports, Russia has deployed more than 400 Iranian-made drones in its war against Ukraine.
While Russia has not officially confirmed the allegations that it is using drones from the Ayatollahs, Ruslan Pukhov, an advisor to Russia's defense ministry, accidentally confirmed it on air in October.
"You know the expression, 'we all have an a—hole, but we don't use the word?' We all know the drones are Iranian, but the government has not admitted to it," Pukhov told the Russian Business Channel.
The report from the Post says that countries will start production within the coming months, swapping needed information like "designs and key components" on the drones in the interim.
Additionally, the drone production will be inside Moscow, a tactic the Islamic government uses to avoid sanctions and be seen as neutral.
"It is proceeding quickly from decision-making to implementation," an unnamed official said. "It is moving fast, and it has a lot of steam."
While Iran’s regime has denied supplying the drones to Russia, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said earlier this month that Iran did send drones to Russia "before the Ukraine war."
As reported by various outlets, Russia is relying on its allies Iran and China to help resist sanctions by Western governments, specifically the U.S., over its invasion of Ukraine.
Since the war began in February, officials from the regime in Iran have condemned western governments from helping the Ukrainian people, calling on countries not to "meddle" in the affairs of other countries.
"Iran and Russia can lie to the world, but they can't hide the facts: Tehran is helping kill Ukrainian civilians through the provision of weapons and assisting Russia in its operations.
It is another sign of how isolated both Iran and Russia are," said National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson.
With Iran supplying Russia with drones, officials from the Islamic Republic of Iran have relied on Moscow to help in negotiations with the West over Iran's nuclear program, allowing the Ayatollahs to acquire a nuclear weapon capable of deterring Israel and the U.S.
