


The Biden administration has warned for months about Tehran and Moscow’s increasingly cooperative relationship, but an official provided new insights on their alliance Monday.
Iran has provided Russia with more than 400 drones over the course of the war in Ukraine, National Security Council coordinator John Kirby told reporters, noting that Russia has expended most of them targeting Ukrainian critical infrastructure.
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"Interactions between Iran and Russia in matters regarding the selling of advanced weapons, especially more advanced UAVs are now continuing," he explained. "If Iran proceeds with selling these additional and more advanced UAVs to Russia, which have also been used to target US personnel in the Middle East. There is every reason to believe that Russia will use them to continue its attacks against Ukrainian targets, causing more Ukrainian casualties."
Russia is interested in acquiring more advanced versions of the Shahed drones it has purchased from Iran previously, while it has also already received artillery and tank rounds, though the U.S. has not seen “any movement about ballistic missiles.”
In exchange, Iran announced last month it finalized a deal to buy fighter jets from Russia, while it also wants to purchase additional military equipment including attack helicopters, radars, and Yak-130 combat trainer aircraft. In total, Iran is looking for billions of dollars of military equipment from Russia.
“The partnership between Russia and Iran is directly enabling Iran’s destabilizing activities in the Middle East, posing a threat not just to Ukraine, of course, but also to Iran's neighbors," he added. "This is a full-scale defense partnership that is harmful to Ukraine, the region in the Middle East, and to the international community."
The Treasury and State departments will announce additional sanctions against people responsible for the increased trade relations between Iran and Russia “in the coming days,” Kirby said. The U.S., along with the European Union and United Kingdom, also imposed new restrictions to prevent Western components found in Orion drones from reaching the battlefield in Ukraine.
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Additionally, the administration will announce new steps soon to help educate governments and businesses on the risks posed by Iran’s UAV program and “the illicit practices that Iran uses to procure components for it.”
Kirby warned in late February that Iran's support for Russia's war was "expanding," which is where he revealed the administration's belief Iran provided artillery and tank rounds to Russia for use in Ukraine.