Video Shows Iranian Drones Contain Western Parts – Video footage published by Radio Liberty shows a Ukrainian border guard showing journalists a downed Iranian Shahed drone.
In the video, the border guard reveals that it is possible to shoot down the drones using small arms and suggests that Western parts and technological components were used to create the drone.
If true, it means that Iranian manufacturers have found ways to circumvent Western sanctions and obtain parts manufactured in the West.
According to a representative of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, most of the components found within the drone, which include a CRPA antenna designed to protect against electronic warfare, can easily be purchased online from companies like Aliexpress.
Inside “Shakhed”. What Iranian drones are hiding
After disassembling “Shaheed”, Ukrainian specialists came to the conclusion that most of the components were manufactured by Western countries – and due to sanctions, these parts were not supposed to reach Iran. pic.twitter.com/07qla5A6Cz— Feher_Junior (@Feher_Junior) March 28, 2023
“After disassembling Shahed, Ukrainian specialists came to the conclusion that most of the components were made by Western countries,” a representative said. “And due to sanctions, these parts were not supposed to get to Iran.”
Radio Liberty also reported that many of the electronic components were also sourced from Japan.
In the video, a border guard also describes how the drone was shot out of the sky using a machine gun from a height of about 150 meters. The video shows a Shahed 131 and a Shahed 136, both damaged after being shot out of the sky. The drones were shot down in different parts of Ukraine and have given Ukraine a valuable insight into the kind of equipment Russian forces have become reliant on.
The Ukrainian border guard in the video shows a reporter some of the most important components found in the drone, all of which were laid out on a table. The guard added that most of the parts have since been handed over to Ukrainian allies so that the relevant authorities can determine how the parts reached Iran, and potentially push for new sanctions that will prevent Iran from obtaining Western and Japanese components to create the weapons.
Iran In the Crosshairs
This isn’t the first time that Iran has been accused of using Western components in weapons sent to Russia. In January, CNN reported that parts made by over a dozen American and Western companies were discovered in one drone downed in Ukraine in the fall of 2022.
The news comes from a Ukrainian intelligence assessment that was exclusively obtained by the outlet. Out of the 52 components recovered from a Shahed 136 drone, 40 were reportedly manufactured by 13 American firms. 12 components were manufactured by different companies across China, Taiwan, Canada, Japan, and Switzerland.
In a statement to CNN, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said that the U.S. is “looking at aways to target Iranian UAV production through sanctions, export controls, and talking to private companies whose parts have been used in the production.”
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.
