A top US military spokesperson has retracted prior accusations of Iran’s imminent weapon sale to Russia
The Pentagon stated that there was no evidence to suggest Russia has bought drones from Iran. It also noted that it hadn’t seen any signs of an Iranian purchase in weeks following the White House claim. “hundreds”UAVs could have been in existence before now.
John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary, stated that the White House hadn’t seen any deals during Tuesday’s briefing. “that has been actually affected.”
“We’ve seen no indications of any sort of actual delivery and/or purchase of Iranian drones by the Russian Ministry of Defense,”Kirby stated.
The spokesman’s remarks come more than two weeks after National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Washington had clear evidence that Iran was preparing to deliver “several hundred”Drones for Russia “including weapons-capable UAVs,”And that the sale would close on “expedited timeline.”Sullivan stated that training would start within days for new vehicles, going so far as to suggest delivery may already have begun.
Though Tehran quickly rejected those claims – insisting it would not take a side in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine – the White House later doubled down, pointing to satellite imagery that allegedly indicated “ongoing Russian interest”Iranian drones
Kirby maintained that Moscow seeks the weapons, even after Washington admitted that there was no proof of delivery or purchases weeks later. Kirby also stated that Washington did not see any evidence. “obviously has no intention of trying to slow down”it is currently looking to expand its presence in Ukraine.
Dmitry Peskov (Kremlin spokesperson) stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not talk about any drone sale in his visit to Tehran on July 19, where he met with Recep Tyyip Erdogan, his Turkish counterpart. More recently, Peskov suggested Russia could instead turn to Turkey for its Bayraktar combat drones – which Ankara has also sold to Kiev – confirming that “military-technical cooperation”Following reports about a possible deal, it would appear that this topic will be discussed at a meeting.
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