After months of denials, Iran's government admitted to shipping lethal drones to Russia — but claimed it happened before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Iran's drones have been used to brutal effect on Ukraine's civilian centers and critical energy infrastructure, as Russia's bombardment appears intent on making parts of the country unlivable as winter sets in.
Ukraine has blamed Iran for providing Russia with drones, which have been used to attack Kyiv in recent days.After months of denials, Iran's government admitted to shipping lethal drones to Russia — but claimed it happened before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in late February. Amirabdollahian said that "if it is proven to us that Russia has used Iranian drones in the Ukraine war, we won't be indifferent to it."
"Iran's immediate goal is to bolster a key ally's military effort in Ukraine when it's clear the Russian war effort is faltering and it's having trouble resupplying its more advanced cruise missiles and drones," Ryan Bohl, a senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at risk intelligence company Rane, told CNBC.
Russia and Iran share a desire to disrupt Western hegemony, and Moscow in particular targets U.S. influence around what it deems its own sphere of influence — the former Soviet states, many of which are now members of NATO.
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