Iran preparing to provide Russia with drones to use in Ukraine: Senior US official

A senior US official said Monday that Iran was preparing to provide Russia with “several hundred” drones to use in its war on Ukraine, with training sessions set to begin as early as this month.

“Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said.

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“Our information further indicates that Iran is preparing to train Russian forces to use these UAVs, with initial training sessions slated to begin as soon as early July,” he added during a press briefing.

Sullivan said it was “unclear” whether Iran had delivered any of the drones to Russia yet. “But this is just one example of how Russia is looking to countries like Iran for capabilities that are also being used… to attack Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Sullivan was responding to questions on whether or not the US believed Russia would continue to fail in its primary objective of capturing the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. He said the US was confident that the “bravery of the Ukrainians and the support of the West to Ukraine” would enable the country to defend its capital.

The US official pointed out severe costs that Russia was enduring on the battlefield, precisely regarding the sustainment of its own weapons.

“From our perspective, we will continue to do our part to help sustain the effective defense of Ukraine and to help the Ukrainians show that the Russian effort to try and wipe Ukraine off the map cannot succeed,” Sullivan said.

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