The United States's ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, urged the U.N. to conduct an investigation into the drones Iran has supplied to Russia for use in Ukraine.
Iran has provided hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles that Russia has used for months to target Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. The U.S. believes there’s a chance the facility Russia is building to manufacture more of them could be operational by early next year.
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Thomas-Greenfield stood with Ukraine, France, the United Kingdom, and Albania to denounce Russia and Iran for violations of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, a document passed in 2015 endorsing the Iran nuclear deal and controlling the transfer of weapons from Iran.
"We know the Kremlin has procured hundreds of UAVs and is now working with Iran to produce these weapons inside Russia. And we know that in recent weeks, the Kremlin has used these UAVs to destroy Ukrainian infrastructure and kill and terrorize civilians," Thomas-Greenfield explained. "The United Nations must implement Security Council Resolution 2231.
"The U.N. must act with urgency. This is a matter of life or death for the Ukrainian people," she added. "Russia’s cruel and relentless attacks have left millions of homes in Ukraine without light, without heat, without water. And recent strikes in Kherson have killed civilians, including aid workers delivering assistance to those fleeing flooding after the Kakhovka Dam’s destruction."
Russian U.N. Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya disagreed with what Resolution 2231 calls for while criticizing the West.
The U.S. is "concerned" about Tehran's assistance in helping Russia produce drones from inside the country, National Security Council coordinator John Kirby told the Washington Examiner earlier this month. "We have information that Russia is receiving materials from Iran needed to build a UAV manufacturing plant inside Russia ... This plant could be fully operational early next year."
Kirby also detailed the process of how the drones get from Tehran to Russia. First, they go from Tehran to Amirabad, Iran, before crossing the Caspian Sea. The drones are then moved from Makhachkala, Russia, to either Seshcha, which is near the Belarusian border, or Primorsko-Akhtarsk, which is near Crimea.
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Iran and Russia's relationship has turned into a full-fledged defense partnership over the course of the war. Iran has finalized a deal to buy Su-35 fighter jets from Russia and is looking for additional weapons and equipment, including attack helicopters, radars, and YAK-130 trainer aircraft, representing billions of dollars worth of military aid.
Russia has also received military aid from North Korea and South Africa, according to the Biden administration.