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Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Ukraine Warns Iran to Stop Supplying Drones to Russia

Shahed-136. Image Credit: YouTube Screenshot.
Shahed-136. Image Credit: YouTube Screenshot.

Following news that Iran will develop new drones and ship components to Russia, Ukrainian officials reportedly reached out and warned Tehran to stop helping Russia’s invasion.

Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, a Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed that Kyiv told Iran that there would be consequences for continuing to aid Russia.

“Such an expert meeting did take place. I cannot disclose the details, but I can assure you that the Ukrainian side continues to take the most drastic measures to prevent the use of Iranian weapons by Russia for the war against Ukraine,” Oleg Nikolenko said.

The Ukrainian spokesman also said that Ukraine informed Tehran “that the consequences of complicity in the Russian aggression will be incommensurable with the potential benefits of cooperation with Russia.”

While Tehran has repeatedly denied claims that drones were sent to Russia for use in the conflict, insisting that drones were only sent to Russia before the invasion of Ukraine began, reports revealed this week that the two countries had signed a deal for the blueprints of Iranian attack drones to be transferred to Russia.

Under the alleged deal, Russian plants will manufacture the Iranian drones, allowing Tehran to deny responsibility for any attacks carried out using the equipment.

According to a report by the Washington Post, Tehran became concerned about sending more drones to Russia following reports in the Western media about the rumored delivery of short-range surface-to-surface missiles to Russia.

The reports prompted Tehran to rethink its approach.

Iranian Drone Responsible for Oil Tanker Attack

On Tuesday, United States Navy investigators confirmed that an attack drone that struck an oil tanker off the coast of Oman last week was manufactured in Iran.

The kamikaze drone attack on the tanker occurred on November 15, and while the strike wasn’t connected to the Ukraine conflict, it shows that Iran is willing to manufacture these weapons – and use them in controversial military conflicts.

The attack on the Liberian-flagged tanker, which was connected to an Israeli billionaire, came as part of a long-running conflict between Israel and Iran.

The attack was criticized by Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, who described the attack as “deliberate, flagrant and dangerous” adding that it endangered the lives of the ship’s crew and destabilized maritime security in the Middle East.

Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor.

Written By

Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive's Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.

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