Russian delegation visited Iran few times in June to acquire, examine combat drones: US

In an attempt to acquire weapons capable combat drones as well as examine them, a Russian delegation visited an Iranian airfield at least twice last month, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN. An imagery accessed by the American broadcaster proves that Tehran had presented the Shahed-191 and Shahed-129 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles UAVs to Russia at Kashan Airfield south of Tehran in June. The two types are capable of carrying precision-guided missiles.

Iranian government to provide Russia with combat UAVs

"We have information that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with several hundred UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs," Sullivan said in a statement to the broadcaster. 

"We assess an official Russian delegation recently received a showcase of Iranian attack-capable UAVs," furthermore he added. "We are releasing these images captured in June showing Iranian UAVs that the Russian government delegation saw that day. This suggests ongoing Russian interest in acquiring Iranian attack-capable UAV," Sullivan continued. 

The US national security advisor admitted that the June visit "was the first time a Russian delegation has visited this airfield for such a showcase." He elaborated that it has been in the knowledge of the Biden administration that the Russians were in the process of procuring the UAVs in Tehran, as they also made a visit on July 5. As the war in eastern Donbass region of Ukraine rages on, Russia has turned to Iran to replenish its drone stockpiles, Sullivan noted. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin is also set to meet his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran this week on July 19 to bolster 'economic cooperation', Kremlin announced in a statement. Iran's state agency IRNA reported that Putin will strengthen trade, commerce and economic ties in the face of the barrage of sanctions slapped on the two economies by the “collective West”.

Chief of Economic Commission of Iran’s Parliament Mohammadreza Pour-Ebrahimi told IRNA that successful agreements were signed by Putin and Raisi during the latter's visit to Russia. A new door of opportunities and economic cooperation has opened and the two nations have kick-started a new phase in Iranian-Russian. Tehran has convinced Moscow of its commitment to economic cooperation, Pour-Ebrahimi said. A Washington cited intel however suggests that Iran is preparing to train Russian forces in using the combat drones as early as this month.