Iran has started transferring blueprints and drone components to Russia – CNN

Russia and Iran have reached an agreement to begin the production of kamikaze drones on the territory of the Russian Federation and launched the process of transferring blueprints and components.

CNN reports this with reference to its own sources in the country’s intelligence that is closely monitoring Iran’s weapons program.

The goal is for Russia to produce thousands of new attack drones using Iranian components and blueprints.

According to the publication’s source, production might begin in a few months. Thus the new drones could be ready for battlefield use as early as next year.

The Washington Post journalists had previously reported on the agreement on the production of drones in the Russian Federation.

This information appears after a series of statements about Iran’s plans to transfer more drones and short- and medium-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles.

CNN’s intelligence source reported that the active position of the US and other partners regarding the consequences of supplying drones and missiles to the Russian Federation forced Tehran to reconsider its cooperation with Moscow. Therefore, they chose to transfer production to the Russian Federation.

They note that the production process for the attack drones is not complicated when compared to the production of other weapons.

At the same time, the representative of the Iranian mission to the UN did not deny that Iran will help Russia produce drones.

In his statement to CNN, the spokesman mentioned that Iran and Russia “have maintained bilateral defense, scientific, and research cooperation” for years, predating Russia’s war in Ukraine.

He emphasized that parts of a UN Security Council Resolution that restricted certain arms transfers to or from Iran had expired in October 2020.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has prioritized increasing defense cooperation with other countries,” the spokesman said.

Adrienne Watson, US National Security Council Spokeswoman, also commented on this available information.

“Iran and Russia can lie to the world, but they can’t hide the facts: Tehran is helping kill Ukrainian civilians through the provision of weapons and assisting Russia in its operations. It’s another sign of how isolated both Iran and Russia are,” she said.

She also emphasized that the United States, together with its allies, is taking measures to prevent the supply of ammunition from Iran to the Russian Federation.

As previously reported, Israel protested Russia’s use of Iranian drones in the war against Ukraine. It also warned the Russian Federation that in the case of obtaining Iranian ballistic missiles, high-precision missiles might also appear in Ukraine.