A White House official informed The Hill on Tuesday that new Iranian drones provided to Moscow for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine have already encountered “numerous failures.”
According to the official, the United States believes Iran sold its Mohajer-6 and Shahed-series drones to Russia in early August after multiple intelligence reports earlier this year indicated that Tehran was planning to sell the models.
The alleged equipment failures hurt an already dwindled Russian military with substantial weaponry shortages — as export controls, sanctions, and embargos from the West have crippled the country’s supply chains.
In May, open-source military intelligence site Oryxspioenkop estimated that Russia had lost more than 664 tanks and over 3,000 other armored vehicles and heavy equipment. Further, military analysts said that of the lost tanks, 283 were abandoned or captured.
News of the malfunctioning Iranian drones also comes as the U.S., Iran, and Europe close in on returning to a form of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) originally agreed to under former President Barack Obama.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stressed Tuesday on Air Force One that Iran supplying Russia with drones and other equipment should not impact talks about reviving the nuclear deal.
“If Iran is prepared to comply with its commitment under the 2015 deal, then we are prepared to do the same,” Jean-Pierre stated. “The administration, along with our allies, is preparing equally for scenarios with or without a mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA.”
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