U.S. Releases Details on Irans Help With Russian Drone Factory
The New York Times WASHINGTON The military partnership between Moscow and Tehran is deepening, White House officials said on Friday as they released newly declassified information about a drone factory that Iran is helping Russia build.
Russia has repeatedly used Iranian-made drones to attack Ukraine in recent months, including strikes on civilian targets, buildings and electrical infrastructure as part of a push to break Ukrainian morale. And as Moscows own weapons stocks have diminished, Iran has become a key supplier of military aid to Russia.
The new factory, which is planned for a warehouse in the Yelabuga region several hundred miles east of Moscow, would allow Russias military to have its own domestically produced source of attack drones. Iran is providing materials for the plant, said John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, who added that the facility could be operational next year.
Plans for the plant have been known for some time. The Wall Street Journal reported plans for a potential drone factory in Yelabuga in February, and the White House released a satellite image of the factorys intended site that was dated in early April.
