European allies fear Russia is about to send drones to Iran

BERLIN — European allies are increasingly concerned that Russia is preparing to hand over advanced drones to Iran, a traditional ally, for use in the war against the United States and Israel.

Russia and Iran have grown closer during Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The Russians have extensively used Iranian drones on Ukrainian territory and have also become one of the main buyers of Iranian oil, helping Tehran evade Western sanctions.

After attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran a few weeks ago, Russia began providing the Persian country with satellite images and other intelligence information about American bases and other potential targets in the region, according to US officials.

This month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukrainian intelligence discovered that Russia provided Iran with drones and intelligence used in attacks on US military installations in the Middle East during this war.

In an interview with journalist Fareed Zakaria of , on March 15, Zelensky said that Russia had transferred drones produced under Iranian license, which were then used against American bases and neighboring countries.

A report published on Thursday appeared to corroborate these statements, stating that Russia is “close to completing a staggered shipment of drones, medicine and food to Iran,” according to Western intelligence reports.

Asked about this information in Brussels on Thursday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte avoided directly confirming whether Russia is sending combat drones to Iran, stating that it is an intelligence matter “that we keep confidential”. Rutte highlighted, however, that authorities had already been pointing out “a close connection” between Iran, Russia, North Korea and China.

“So it says something when reports emerge that Russia is sharing so much, including with Iran,” he said. “Let’s not be naive about this.”

In a social media post also on Thursday, British Defense Minister John Healy declared that “Russia and Iran have been working together — sharing tactics, training and technology.”

Two senior European officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the diplomatic sensitivity of the issue, said their intelligence services believe Russia is preparing to hand over drones to Iran for use in the war against the United States and Israel. They did not provide details on quantities or deadlines for possible shipments.

A third European official was less categorical, saying there was “strong evidence” that the Russians and Iranians had reached this type of agreement. But he said he did not know if any drones had already been delivered or were in the process of being delivered.

Iran’s weapons factories, both drones and ballistic missiles, have been a priority target of the intense US and Israeli bombing campaign since the war began almost a month ago. Russian drones would therefore help bridge this gap.

Dmitri Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, denied on Thursday that Russia is supplying drones and other weapons to Iran for use in this war, classifying this as “false information” in a statement to the Russian state agency Vesti.

Peskov had also denied, at the beginning of the month, a report that Russia had supplied Iran with modernized components for its drones, with the aim of improving communication, navigation and targeting capabilities.

Russia has previously said it has already transferred medical supplies and food to Iran by land via Azerbaijan and will continue to do so.

On March 7, President Donald Trump downplayed reports that Russia was providing intelligence to Iran to attack US troops. “If you look at what’s happened with Iran in the last week, if they’re getting information, it’s not helping much,” Trump told reporters.

Russian military support for Iran is a sensitive issue for Trump, who has generally aligned himself more with Russia than Ukraine and has been reluctant to increase pressure on Moscow.

Even more delicate, the war with Iran caused a sharp rise in oil prices and, to try to contain them, Trump recently lifted economic sanctions on the sale of Russian oil. The measure angered Europeans and Zelensky, as it helps finance the Russian war machine — at the same time that Moscow bombs Ukraine and supports Iran, the country that Trump is bombing.

For Russia, support for Iran is a kind of “give and take” in response to American military aid to Ukraine.

Russian aid to Iran comes on the heels of crucial military support that Tehran gave to the Russian Army in Ukraine in one of its most difficult moments, in September 2022, especially with the deployment of hundreds of Iranian Shahed-136 drones.

Russia later built its own factory for these drones in Yelabuga, Tatarstan, about 1,000 kilometers east of Moscow. Initially, Russian experts only assembled drones from kits sent by Iran, but the operation was significantly expanded.

As of early 2023, the plant was producing around 100 drones per month; today, it has the capacity to manufacture thousands. The project has also evolved. Russian engineers modified the original model, which turned into a distinctly Russian product, with locally manufactured cells, warheads and navigation systems.

In July last year, Timur Shagivaleyev, head of the special economic zone that houses the Yelabuga factory, described the unit, on a Russian state TV channel, as “the largest and most secret attack drone factory in the world”. In a report that did not mention cooperation with Iran, he claimed the plant produced nine times more drones than initially planned.