US backtracks on its claims, says 'no indications' of Iran supplying drones to Russia

Backtracking on its previous claims, the United States has now admitted that it has no evidence of Iran supplying drones to Russia amid the Moscow-Kyiv war. After previously accusing Iran of helping Russia with unmanned aerial vehicles or drones with the capability of carrying arms to use in the Ukraine war, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby has now made a stark U-turn saying that the White House has not seen any deal “that has been actually affected.”

“We’ve seen no indications of any sort of actual delivery and/or purchase of Iranian drones by the Russian Ministry of Defense,” Kirby said.

Earlier, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had said that the US had “information” which indicates that Iran is readying to train the Russian army to use such military equipment as soon as this month. Sullivan told reporters, “Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline.” 

The White House had reiterated that Russia was seeking Iran’s assistance to provide Moscow with “hundreds” of drones to use in Ukraine. Sullivan’s revelation regarding Iran and Russia comes as President Joe Biden readies for a trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia, where Tehran's nuclear program and other such activities in the region were expected to be discussed. Amid such speculation, Russian President Vladimir Putin was hosted in Iran by Iran for three days.                                                     

Iran rejected US claims and denied supplying drones

Meanwhile, Iran has rejected the US claims that Tehran was planning to hand over Russia with several hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones with the capability of carrying arms. Without confirming the sale of military equipment to Russia, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian assured that Tehran was avoiding any moves that would lead to an escalation in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

In an interview with La Republica newspaper published Wednesday, Amir-Abdollahian said, “We have various forms of cooperation with Russia, including in the sphere of defence, but we are not helping either side involved in the [Ukrainian] conflict because we are certain that it should be concluded."

"I think that currently, the problem is elsewhere - some Western countries, including the US, are manufacturing arms and trying to sell their products. We are trying to avoid any actions that may lead to an escalation. We are working on stopping this war”, he said while weighing in on the remarks made by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

Image: AP