White House claims Russian officials visited an airfield in Iran at least twice in recent weeks to inspect war drones it considers to purchase to use in its attack on Ukraine.
The intelligence was made public by the Biden administration as President Joe Biden convened on Saturday with the leaders of the six Arab Gulf nations, as well as Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq, for a regional conference.
During his appearance at the summit that closed out a four-day Middle East visit, Biden reaffirmed the United States' commitment to the region and vowed that it "will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia, or Iran."
Russian officials visited Iran twice in recent weeks to exhibit the military drones they plan to buy for their battle in Ukraine, according to satellite data publicly disclosed by the White House just hours before the Gulf Cooperation Council gathering.
White House Claims Iran Prepares To Provide Sophisticated Drones to Russia
Per a report from NPR, it might be possible for the administration to more effectively link the war's significance to the fears held by many Arab countries about Iran's nuclear ambitions and other shady behavior in the region if satellite images demonstrating Russian officials' visits to Kashan Airfield on June 8 and July 5 to inspect the drones are publicly revealed.
According to a report from The Times of Israel, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan claimed that Iran is preparing to sell Russia hundreds of attack drones.
In a statement, Sullivan claimed that the White House holds "information indicating that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with several hundred UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs."
The White House also released photos of the drones capable of carrying guided missiles, the Shahed-191 and Shahed-129, which were on the airstrip and in flight when a Russian delegation transport plane was parked.
Ukraine extensively utilized armed drones in its fight against the invading Russians, who have not made acquiring such capabilities a priority until now.
Iran Dismiss US Accusations
In a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Friday, Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian refuted allegations that his country was supplying drones to Russia, labeling them "baseless."
According to Amirabdollahian, the accusations by the White House before US President Joe Biden started his tour of the Middle East were part of a concerted campaign against Iran.
Amirabdollahian said: "The fundamental and explicit stance of the Islamic republic in opposing war and supporting a stop to the war is not based on a double standard like some Western countries."
The Iranian official also claimed that Tehran opposes the fighting in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Palestine.
The news also arises as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan are scheduled to visit Tehran on Tuesday for a trilateral meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to address the Syrian crisis.
The leaders are anticipated to meet separately as well, and it is said that Putin will speak with Ali Hosseini Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran.
Iran has expressed its desire to see an end to the war in Ukraine through diplomacy since it began in February, but it has refrained from criticizing Russia and instead has pointed the finger at NATO's expansion in Europe as the root of the crisis, per Al Jazeera.
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