A Russian military aircraft covertly delivered 140 million euros in cash and three models of captured U.K. and U.S. weapons to an airport in Tehran on Aug. 20, Sky News reported, citing an unnamed source from security services. In return, Iran provided Russia with over 160 drones, including 100 Shahed-136 ones, according to the source.
The Western munitions seized in Ukraine that Russia then reportedly transported to Iran included a British NLAW anti-tank missile, a U.S. Javelin anti-tank missile, and a Stinger anti-aircraft missile. The source alleged that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) plan to study this weaponry and copy it for use in the future.
At least five Russian jets have delivered drones from Iran since Aug. 20 as part of the deal; a further agreement worth 200 million euros had been set between Tehran and Moscow in the past few days, Sky News wrote, citing their source.
On Nov. 5, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian acknowledged for the first time that his country had provided drones to Russia but claimed that it happened before Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Two days later, Robert Malley, the U.S. special envoy for Iran, dismissed Iranian official's words, saying that Iran had supplied dozens of combat drones to Russia this summer.
Since September, Russia has launched waves of attacks using Iranian-made kamikaze drones in strikes that killed civilians and destroyed energy facilities across Ukraine.
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