Support The Moscow Times!

Iran Admits Sending Russia Drones

Silhouette of an Iranian military unmanned aerial vehicle at sunset. TASS

Iran admitted for the first time on Saturday that it has sent drones to Russia, but insisted they were supplied to its ally before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"We supplied Russia with a limited number of drones months before the war in Ukraine," Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said, quoted by the official news agency IRNA.

Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Russia of using Iranian-made drones in recent weeks to carry out attacks in Ukraine. Tehran has repeatedly denied these claims.

Iran has repeatedly denied that it has been supplying arms to Russia for use in the Ukraine war.

"In a telephone conversation with the Ukrainian foreign minister last week, we agreed that if there was evidence (of Moscow's use of Iranian drones), he would provide it to us," Amir-Abdollahian said.

"If the Ukrainian side keeps its promise, we can discuss this issue in the coming days and we will take into account their evidence," he added.

The Iranian foreign minister again denied his country had supplied missiles to Russia, calling the accusations "completely false".

The Washington Post reported on October 16 that Iran was preparing to ship missiles to Russia.

Kyiv has said around 400 Iranian drones have already been used against the civilian population of Ukraine, and that Moscow has ordered around 2,000.

In response to these transfers, the European Union and United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on three Iranian generals and an arms firm accused of supplying Russia with drones.

In September, Kiev decided to significantly reduce diplomatic relations with Tehran because of alleged arms shipments to the country.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more