Iranian drones at secret underground base<\/p>\n
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is set to visit Tehran next week as the US has accused Iran of preparing to supply Russia with hundreds of weapons-capable drones for use in Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, told reporters the US had information indicating Tehran was \u201cpreparing to provide Russia<\/a> with up to several hundred UAVs, on an expedited timeline\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cOur information further indicates that Iran<\/a> is preparing to train Russian forces to use these UAVs, with initial training sessions slated to begin as soon as early July.\u201d<\/p>\n Sullivan added that the information received by the US supported views that Russia\u2019s heavy bombardments in Ukraine, which have led it to consolidate gains in the country\u2019s east in recent weeks, were \u201ccoming at a cost to the sustainment of its own weapons\u201d<\/p>\n Sullivan said it was not clear whether Iran had yet delivered any of the drones to Russia. He noted that Iran\u2019s drones had been used by the Houthi rebels in Yemen to attack Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n Sullivan\u2019s claim comes as the Kremlin\u2019s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that Putin would travel to Iran\u2019s capital next week to hold talks with the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan.<\/p>\n Erdo\u011fan, who has positioned himself as the main mediator between the two countries at war, on Monday held calls with Putin as well as his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to discuss the situation in Ukraine and grain shipments.<\/p>\n Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian state media also reported that Putin would visit Tehran next week to discuss deepening economic ties.<\/p>\n Drones have played a crucial role on both sides of the war in Ukraine, for everything from firing missiles from a distance, to dropping small bombs on targets, to conducting reconnaissance for artillery forces and ground troops.<\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s forces have had particular success in using Turkish-made Bayraktar armed combat UAVs, and the US and other allies have supplied Kyiv with many types of smaller drones.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom our perspective, we will continue to do our part to help sustain the effective defence of Ukraine and to help the Ukrainians show that the Russian effort to try to wipe Ukraine off the map cannot succeed,\u201d Sullivan said.<\/p>\n