President Biden speaks to reporters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday after meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Evan Vucci / AP
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Evan Vucci / AP
President Biden speaks to reporters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday after meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Evan Vucci / AP
The White House says Russian officials have visited an airport in central Iran at least twice in recent weeks to see potentially weapons-carrying drones the country is looking to purchase for use. used in the war against Ukraine.
The Biden administration released the intelligence when President Joe Biden met with the leaders of six Arab Gulf states, along with Egypt, Jordan and Iraq for a meeting. a regional summit. Biden told other heads of state at the summit that the United States was committed to the Middle East and “won’t walk away and leave a void for China, Russia or Iran to fill.”
Biden has sought to use his appearance at the summit, concluding a four-day trip to the region, to cement America’s position in the Middle East and bring the region closer together to counter Iran. .
Hours before the Gulf Cooperation Council summit, the White House released satellite images showing that Russian officials had twice visited Iran in recent weeks to display the drones. potentially weapons it is seeking to use in the war in Ukraine.
None of the countries present at the summit agreed with the US to sanction Russia, a major foreign policy priority of the Biden administration. If anything, the United Arab Emirates has emerged as a sort of financial haven for Russian billionaires and their multimillion-dollar yachts. Egypt remains open to Russian tourists.
The release of satellite images showing that Russian officials visited Kashan Airport on June 8 and July 5 to inspect the drones could help authorities tighten their ties. of the war with the concern of many Arab states about Iran’s nuclear ambitions and other malign activities in the land.
A senior Biden administration official, who spoke briefly to reporters ahead of the summit, said Moscow’s efforts to buy drones from Tehran showed Russia was “bet a effective way into Iran.”
The authorities also released satellite images of the Shahed-191 and Shahed-129 drones being displayed and flying over the airport, while a transport plane of the Russian delegation was on the ground. .
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement that the administration has “information that the Iranian government is preparing to supply Russia with several hundred UAVs.” A UAV is an unmanned aerial vehicle, also known as an unmanned aerial vehicle.
“We assess that an official Russian delegation recently received a demonstration of Iranian strike-capable UAVs. We will publish images taken in June showing Iranian UAVs. that the Russian government delegation saw that day,” added Mr. “This shows Russia’s continued interest in purchasing Iranian strike-capable UAVs.”
Mr. Sullivan said US officials believe the June visit “is the first time a Russian delegation has visited the airport to make such a presentation”.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Saturday regarding the White House assertion.
On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, in a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, dismissed reports of Iranian drone exports to Russia, calling them “baseless.” keep.”
“Statements of this kind paralleling Biden’s visit to occupied Palestine, or Israel, are for political purposes and purposes,” Amirabdollahian said on the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s website. “We oppose any move that could lead to a continuation and escalation of the conflict.”
Mr. Biden is looking to increase coordination among Middle Eastern allies in response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, and what the ongoing conflict means for the region. Many Gulf states – especially Saudi Arabia – have serious concerns about Iranian malign activity in the region.
Sullivan told reporters earlier this week, before Biden arrived in the area. that the US has determined that Iran is preparing to train Russian forces to use drones as soon as this month. He said that Russia’s “deepening of its alliance with Iran to kill Ukrainians is something the whole world should be looking at”.
The drones that the government believes Iran is preparing to transfer to Russia are the same weapons that Iran has supplied to the Houthis in Yemen.
Kashan Air Base, 190 kilometers (120 miles) south of Tehran, is one of Iran’s oldest airports.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz in 2021 linked Kashan to Iran’s drone program, alleging that Iran had trained fighters from Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen to fly drones. at this establishment.
The US intelligence assessment was first reported by CNN.
