Mystery about drone plans - pictures reveal: Russia delegation flew to Iran in June

Created: 07/17/2022, 04:56

By: Hannes Niemeyer

The US fears that Iran could supply drones to Russia in the Ukraine war.

Iran itself has denied it.

Satellite images should now prove a meeting.

Moscow / Tehran - It is well known that western countries regularly support Volodymyr Zelenskyy's troops with arms deliveries during the Ukraine war.

Now, however, concerns have been raised that the Russian side is also in talks about a massive purchase of weapons.

Iran is said to be a partner in this deal.

At least that's what the United States claimed: On Tuesday, Jake Sullivan, adviser to US President Joe Biden, announced that Iran wanted to supply Russia with weapons-capable drones for the fight in Ukraine.

There was talk of "up to several hundred" such unmanned aerial vehicles.

The US even assumed that Iran was planning to train Russian units on the drones.

The speculation is fueled by the fact that the Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin will travel to Iran himself on July 19.

According to the Interfax agency, the meeting should be about Syria, and Iran has meanwhile confirmed that there will be no drone deliveries to Russia.

Biden advisor Sullivan probably still doesn't trust the whole thing.

Is Iran Cooperating With Putin In The Ukraine War?

Satellite images are said to show meetings at military bases

Sullivan has now made explosive details public to the US news channel CNN.

Accordingly, a Russian delegation had already visited an Iranian air force base twice in the last month.

Satellite photos obtained by CNN should prove this.

Shahed-191 and Shahed-129 drones are said to have been presented at the meeting.

Said drones can also be seen on the satellite images.

A van belonging to a Russian delegation is also said to be shown.

“The published images - taken in June - show Iranian UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, editor's note) that the Russian delegation viewed that day.

This suggests Russia's continued interest in acquiring Iranian weaponized UAVs," CNN quoted a statement from Biden adviser Sullivan as saying.

A Shahed-129 drone.

A Russian delegation is said to have viewed such a model in Iran, according to satellite images.

© Sobhan Farajvan / IMAGO / Pacific Press Agency

According to the information available to the United States, the June meeting was the first of its kind at which Russian delegates were presented with such weapons.

On July 5, Russian envoys are said to have visited the same base again.

Drones play an important role in the Ukraine war.

Russia used so-called kamikaze drones early on, which then also became a game changer for Ukraine.

Most recently, Ukraine in particular knew how to block Putin's successes with drones purchased from Turkey.

New drones for Putin?

Iran denies and speaks of "US propaganda act"

The Iranian denial of a drone deal with Russia makes things even more exciting.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian, in a conversation with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, even accused the United States of being "baseless and more of an act of propaganda before US President Biden's trip" because of Sullivan's theses.

Biden is currently visiting the Middle East and was a guest in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

A trip to Israel is also planned.

As a US official told CNN, the very strengthening of relations between Russia and Iran would mean that the US would have to increase its presence and influence in the Middle East.

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What exactly is behind the satellite photos cannot be independently verified.

How the drone mystery continues will probably not be revealed until Putin's visit to Iran on July 19 at the earliest.

Meanwhile, war continues to rage in Ukraine.

And ex-Merkel adviser Vad soon sees Putin as having an irrevocable advantage there.