A Russian delegation has visited an airfield in central Iran at least twice in the past month to study unmanned aerial vehicles, CNN reported Saturday, citing national security adviser Jacob Sullivan.
"We have information that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with several hundred UAVs, including combat-ready UAVs," Sullivan told CNN.
According to the report, Iran began demonstrating Shahed-191 and Shahed-129 drones to the Russian Federation in June at Kashan airfield south of Tehran. Both types of drones are capable of carrying high-precision missiles.
Sullivan said that as far as the U.S. knows, the June visit "was the first time a Russian delegation had visited this airfield for such a demonstration." The Russian delegation visited the airfield again for a similar demonstration on July 5, officials said.
The news comes as Biden is wrapping up his trip to the Middle East, where Iran has been a key topic of discussion between the U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. A U.S. official told CNN that the growing partnership between Iran and Russia exemplifies why the U.S. needs to maintain its presence and influence in the Middle East.
White House officials said earlier this week that recently declassified U.S. intelligence indicates Iran is expected to supply Russia with "hundreds" of drones for use in the war in Ukraine, with Iran preparing to begin training Russian forces on how to operate them as soon as possible. The Russian Federation, as the U.S. now believes, has apparently turned to Iran for help in resupplying the drones. However, it is not clear how sophisticated or effective these drones will be.