London — American defense officials on Tuesday sought to dispel any doubt that Iran is supplying drones for Russia's war in Ukraine, releasing photos and analysis of unmanned aircraft deployed in the conflict to demonstrate Tehran's involvement.
During a briefing in London, analysts from the Defense Intelligence Agency displayed photos of drones that attacked Ukraine alongside images of those previously traced to Iran. A comparison of design details such as tail fins, nose cones and landing gear shows that the weapons used in Ukraine are “indistinguishable” from Shahed-131 and -136 attack drones and Mohajer 6 unmanned aerial vehicles used in the Middle East.
The effort to “show the homework'' is intended to help persuade governments or international agencies of Tehran's involvement. Iran has said it supplied a “small number” of drones to Russia before the invasion of Ukraine but has denied providing any more since troops crossed the border last February.
The evidence proves otherwise, an official from the Defense Intelligence Agency said while speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
“Iran is a partner in the conflict with Russia,'' the official said.
U.S. officials also suggested that Iran was gleaning valuable information by deploying its technology in Ukraine, including how the drones perform in different weather conditions, seeing how they can be used…
