A report by the Washington Post on the alleged deal is “information stuffing,” the Kremlin says
FILE PHOTO: A newly Iranian-made drone, ‘Shahed 129’ (Witness 129) being shown in Tehran. © HO / SEPAH NEWS / AFP
Moscow has denied claims made by the Washington Post suggesting that Iran is supplying Russian forces with combat drones to be used in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday that the Bezos-owned newspaper has engaged in quite a bit of “information stuffing” lately, and rejected claims that Moscow had received a shipment of UAVs from Tehran.
Nevertheless, Peskov noted that Russia’s relations with Iran are “developing dynamically” and would continue to do so.
The response comes after the Washington Post published an article on Monday stating that Iran had sent a shipment of drones to Russia, citing anonymous US and allied officials. The report says Tehran had transferred a number of Mohajer-6 and Shahed-series drones to Moscow and that many of them were already malfunctioning.
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In July, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made similar claims, stating Washington had “clear evidence” that Iran was preparing to deliver “several hundred” drones to Russia, “including weapons-capable UAVs,” and that the sale would be conducted on an “expedited timeline.”
Later that month, the White House toned down its allegations. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby admitted that Washington did not actually see any evidence of a deal.
“We’ve seen no indications of any sort of actual delivery and/or purchase of Iranian drones by the Russian Ministry of Defense,” Kirby said.
Tehran has rejected claims of any drone deals with Moscow, insisting that it would not take a side in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and would continue to push for a peaceful resolution.
