Video: Three killed, including a mother and daughter, in Russian attack on Kyiv (Reuters)
The United States believes Iran is helping Russia set up a drone factory on its territory that could be operational as early as next year, the White House said Friday, warning of deepening cooperation between the two regimes.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby revealed new information obtained by U.S. intelligence, showing satellite images from an industrial zone east of Moscow where the factory is planned to be built using equipment provided by Tehran. According to Kirby, the Iranian drones, hundreds of which were launched on the battlefield, reach Russia via the Caspian Sea.
The construction of a plant for the production of UAVs on the territory of Russia will make it easier to acquire the aircraft, which serve as a replacement for its depleted missile stockpiles.
Moscow has stepped up its use of Iranian-made drones in recent weeks to hit targets across Ukraine. However, these mainly hit civilian targets and most of them are intercepted by Ukraine's upgraded air defense systems, which it received from Western countries.
"Russia has used Iranian drones in recent weeks to strike Kyiv and terrorize the Ukrainian population, and the Russian-Iranian military partnership appears to be deepening," Kirby said in a statement. "We are also concerned that Russia is working with Iran to produce Iranian drones inside Russia."
An Iranian drone launched by Russia into Kyiv last year (Photo: Reuters)
According to Kirby, Iran, which wants to upgrade its outdated army, receives from Moscow in return for assistance in the field of drones. "Russia is offering Iran unprecedented security cooperation, including on missiles, electronics and air defense," he said.
He added that the expanding security partnership between the two countries, which is subject to Western sanctions, "is harmful to Ukraine, Iran's neighbors and the international community. We continue to use all the tools at our disposal to expose and disrupt these activities, including by exposing them to the public – and we are ready to do more."
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A spokesman for the National Security Council added that the United States would act to punish Russia and Iran because the transfer of the drones violated UN law. Washington has imposed a series of sanctions in recent months on entities and companies in Iran that it claims are undergoing the supply of the drones to Russia.
"We will continue to impose sanctions on those involved in the transfer of Iranian military equipment to Russia that it uses in Ukraine," Kirby said. He said the administration would issue new guidelines later in the day "to help businesses and other governments better understand the risks posed by Iran's drone program and the illegal practices Iran is using to purchase components for it."
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