Russia is mulling sending fighter jets to Iran as part of an expanding military alliance that has seen Tehran ship artillery and tank rounds to Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, the White House said Friday.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that Iran had shipped the weapons to Russia in November and, in exchange, Russia was offering “unprecedented defense cooperation,” including missiles, electronics and fighter jets.
Iran is also seeking to purchase attack helicopters, radars and combat trainer aircraft.
“When we talked about the growing defense relationship between Iran and Russia, we were concerned it was going to go both ways and those concerns are certainly becoming realized,” Mr. Kirby said. “This defense cooperation is not only, of course, not good for the people of Ukraine … but it’s certainly not good for the Middle East.”
Between September and November, Russia allegedly bought hundreds of Iranian-made kamikaze drones, which it used to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, knocking out roughly half the country’s power.
Earlier this month, U.S. officials shared photos of what they say are drones being used in Ukraine. The Treasury Department sanctioned an Iranian drone maker for sending the devices for use in Ukraine.
Tehran denied providing drones to Russia.
Iran is one of the few countries to deepen its economic ties with Russia since Western nations imposed sanctions and avoided doing business with Moscow.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Tehran in July. Russian exports to Iran also rose by 27% in 2022 while imports from Moscow to Tehran increased by 10%. The two nations also agreed to invest $40 billion in Iranian gas projects, of which $6.5 billion was already under contract in November.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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