The US has raised the issue of Iran’s supply of attack drones to Russia in talks with Tehran as part of an effort to “de-escalate tensions,” the Financial Times reported on Aug. 16.
Washington has asked Tehran to stop selling drones to Russia during indirect talks in Qatar and Oman this year, according to the FT’s sources.
While Iran has long denied it is behind the delivery of drones, CNN reported on May 26 that Tehran is secretly shipping Shahed kamikaze drones to Russia via the Caspian Sea.
A particular increase in traffic was recorded in the fall of 2022, when Moscow began carrying out large-scale drone strikes against Ukraine.
Tehran claims it has “repeatedly” asked Moscow to stop using the drones, according to the FT report. However, Washington has asked for “more concrete steps” in the talks, which are taking place through intermediaries.
Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones are one of Russia’s most effective weapons. On August 3, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched nearly 2,000 Shaheds to Ukraine.
In June, Iranian-made Shahed “kamikaze” drones largely used by Russia to attack Ukraine are still difficult to shoot down by Ukrainian forces, Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda.
According to him, it is difficult to take down the drones when Russia launches a lot of them from different directions, mostly at night, and they fly low.
He said Russia launches drones at night to “exhaust” and detect Ukrainian air defenses to fire further missiles at them from its planes or missile carriers.
On August 16, the British Ministry of Defense said Russia has almost certainly started deploying domestically produced drones based on Iranian Shahed kamikaze drone designs.
Domestic production will allow Russia to establish a more stable supply of kamikaze drones that can be used in airstrikes against Ukraine, the report said.
While Moscow likely hopes to become fully self-sufficient in manufacturing the unmanned aerial vehicles, it currently relies on components and complete weapons shipped from Iran, primarily through the Caspian Seasaid the ministry.
Read also: Report: Russia replicates Iranian drones and uses them to attack Ukraine
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