Iran 'directly engaged' in Russia’s war in Ukraine, White House says
The Pentagon is actively consulting with allies to provide air defense systems to Ukraine to defend against Russia’s bombardments using Iranian drones.
The White House on Thursday accused Iran of direct involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine, saying military advisers from Tehran assisted Russian pilots in bombarding the capital city of Kyiv and other civilian centers earlier this week using Iranian-made kamikaze drones.
“Today we can confirm that Russian military personnel that are based in Crimea have been piloting Iranian UAVs, using them to conduct strikes across Ukraine, including strikes against Kyiv in recent days,” the White House's National Security Council coordinator John Kirby told reporters today.
“We assess that Iranian military personnel were on the ground in Crimea and assisted Russia in these operations,” Kirby said.
“Furthermore,” he added, “In light of Russia’s ongoing supply shortages, we are concerned that Russia may also seek to acquire advanced conventional weapons from Iran, such as surface-to-surface missiles, that will almost certainly be used to support the war against Ukraine.”
