The partnership of Russia with Iran has strengthened recently which was accelerated by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, British military intelligence reported.
The UK Ministry of Defense said in its war intelligence update, “International isolation has forced Russia to redirect its foreign policy efforts towards previously less-desirable partnerships to gain diplomatic, economic, and military support.”
“Iranian military aid to Russia’s campaign in Ukraine has included hundreds of one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA UAV) and artillery munitions. Iranian OWA UAVs have been a core element of Russia’s campaign of long-range strikes into Ukraine,” it added.
The British intelligence report highlighted, “This arrangement has now been extended to include assembling and production of these UAVs, under license, in a facility in Russia. Russo-Iranian diplomatic and economic ties have also intensified.”
“Russia’s engagement with Iran through multinational forums will almost certainly increase following Iran’s recent admission into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and its invitation to join the economic BRICS forum. Iran recently claimed that Russia had invested USD 2.76 billion into Iran in 2022-2023. Economic ties are highly likely to deepen as Russia seeks to mitigate sanctions,” it stated.
