USA: Russia and Iran expand military cooperation
According to the US government, Russia and Iran are expanding their military cooperation. National Security Council communications director John Kirby said Monday Iran continued to supply attack drones to Russia. Iran has provided more than 400 drones to Russia since August. Most of them have already been used in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine – primarily with the aim of destroying critical infrastructure there. Iran is among Moscow’s top military supporters and allows Russian President Vladimir Putin to continue killing Ukrainians, Kirby said.
The trade is going both ways, he said. In April, Iran announced that it had signed an agreement with Moscow to purchase Russian fighter jets. Tehran also wants to buy more military equipment from Russia, such as helicopters and fighter jets. “In total, Iran wants to buy billions of dollars worth of military equipment from Russia,” Kirby said. The partnership with Russia enables Iran to continue destabilizing actions in the Middle East.
Defense cooperation is not only a threat to Ukraine, but also to the Middle East and the international community, Kirby said. It is therefore planned to impose further punitive measures “in the coming days” against those involved in the increasing arms deals between Russia and Iran. The US has already imposed sweeping sanctions on both countries, but there is still room for more sanctions.