Officials from the White House have stated that newly declassified intelligence from the United States has indicated that Iran is anticipated to supply Russia with “hundreds” of drones.
The drones, according to the officials, include weapons-capable ones — for use in the war in Ukraine.
Iran will also train Russian forces on how to operate these drones and begin as early as late July.
“Information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred (unmanned aerial vehicles), including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House press briefing on Monday, according to CNN.
“Our information further indicates that Iran is preparing to train Russian forces to use these UAVs, with initial training session slated in as soon as early July. It’s unclear whether Iran has delivered any of these UAVs to Russia already.”
A spokesperson at the White House National Security Council told CNN that the information Sullivan described to reporters was based on recently declassified intelligence.
Sullivan argued that news of Iran supplying the drones is evidence that Russia’s attacks against Ukraine in recent weeks are coming at the “severe” cost of depleting its own weapons.