US wants Iran to stop selling drones to Russia

The US is pushing Iran to stop selling armed drones to Russia as part of discussions on a broader “unwritten understanding” between Washington and Tehran to de-escalate tensions and contain a long-simmering nuclear crisis, according to the Financial Times. 

“The Biden administration has raised the issue with the Islamic regime at indirect talks in Qatar and Oman this year, according to people briefed on the matter, reported the Financial Times.

“The discussions have been taking place alongside negotiations on a prisoner exchange deal that led to Tehran transferring four Iranian-US citizens from prison to house arrest last week, the people said.

“According to an Iranian official and another person briefed on the talks, the US wants Iran to stop supplying drones to Russia, which Moscow is using in the war in Ukraine, as well as spare parts for the unmanned aircraft.

The official added that Tehran — which officially denies its drones are being used in Ukraine — had repeatedly asked Moscow to stop deploying them in the conflict, but Washington wanted “more concrete steps”.

Understanding the background

Russia has been struggling to make progress in the war, and it has been looking for new sources of weapons and military equipment. Iran has a large stockpile of drones, and it has been developing drones for several years.

The US is concerned that Russia can use drones to attack Ukrainian civilians or infrastructure. The US is also concerned that Iran could provide Russia with drones that could be used to carry out cyberattacks.

The US and Iran have been at odds for years, and the war in Ukraine has only made the situation worse. The US is concerned that Iran is becoming more closely aligned with Russia, and it is trying to deter Iran from providing military support to Russia.

(Written with inputs from Financial Times)

About Author

Editor

See author's posts