White House says Iran providing drones to Russia for war in Ukraine

The Iranian government intends to provide Russia with “hundreds” of drones for its ongoing war in Ukraine, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday.

Mr. Sullivan said the U.S. has intelligence showing that Iranians are preparing to train Russian military forces to use unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs). Moscow could be using the drones as soon as this month, he told reporters at a White House press briefing.

“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,” Mr. Sullivan said.

Mr. Sullivan did not say whether any of the drones had been delivered to Russia but said the pact with Iran is evidence that Moscow is losing its own weapons in the war.  He noted that Iran had provided similar UAVs to Yemen’s Houthi rebels to attack Saudi Arabia before the two sides reached a ceasefire agreement this year.

The revelation comes as President Biden prepares to travel this week to Israel and Saudi Arabia, where Iran’s nuclear program is expected to be one of the most heated topics of conversation.