Defying West, Iran to supply drones, missiles to Russia

STORY: A barrage of deadly drone strikes in Ukraine this week rocked the capital of Kyiv and beyond in the latest assault from Russian forces, which Ukraine says have destroyed almost a third of the nation’s power stations.

Ukraine says the drones were made in Iran and supplied to Russia, a claim both Iran and Russia have denied.

But now it appears more are on the way, as Reuters has learned exclusively of a weapons deal between Iran and Russia.

Agreed to earlier this month, the deal would bring drones and surface-to-surface ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia as it continues its war against Ukraine.

That’s according to two senior Iranian officials and two Iranian diplomats – and confirmed by a Western official briefed on the matter.

It’s a move that is likely to infuriate the U.S. and other Western powers – who see it as a breach of a 2015 UN Security Council resolution.

But an Iranian diplomat, speaking to Reuters, rejected that assertion, saying, “Where they are being used is not the seller’s issue.”

U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said Russia was not only receiving drones from Iran, but that drone operators were also being trained there.

“Russia deepening an alliance with Iran is something the whole world, especially those in the region and across the world frankly, should be seen as a threat and something that any country should pay very close attention to.”

One European diplomat said Russia was likely finding it more difficult to produce weapons for itself given the sanctions on its industrial sector - and was therefore turning to imports from partners like Iran and North Korea.

But on Tuesday, NATO said it was stepping in, announcing it will soon deliver air defense systems to Ukraine to help the country counter the drone attacks.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg called it “the most important thing” NATO can do.