'Global coalition' must push back against Iran-Russia co-op: Pentagon
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The Pentagon reveals that it is highly concerned about Iranian-Russian cooperation, stressing that Tehran's ties to Moscow need to be cut and claiming this would be in the best interest of global security.
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A police officer inspects parts of an unmanned aerial vehicle, what Ukrainian authorities consider to be an Iranian-made suicide drone, or Shahed-136, at the site of a Russian strike on fuel storage facilities in Kharkov, Ukraine, October 6, 2022 (Reuters)
The United States needs to rally a global coalition to "push back" against the "malign cooperation" between Russia and Iran, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Dana Stroul said Tuesday.
"We now need to rally a coalition not only in the Middle East, but a global coalition to push back on the malign cooperation between Iran and Russia," Stroul told reporters.
Stroul once again reiterated the West's claims that Iran has provided suicide drones to Moscow to use in the Ukraine war.
Ukraine and its western allies have long been accusing Iran of supplying drones to Russia in the midst of the war. However, Tehran's statements once again struck down the allegations as false, proving that the Iranian drones seen in Ukraine's airspace were not provided to Moscow as the war was ongoing.
Iran had given a small batch of drones to Russia, but it was before the Ukraine war broke out, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in November 2022.
The top Iranian diplomat went on to remind how Tehran requested that Kiev provide it with proof and documentation of Moscow's use of Iranian UAVs.
"We are now at a point when Iranian threats are no longer specific to the Middle East, but a global challenge and this is a result of increasing military cooperation between Iran and Russia," she added.
Furthermore, Stroul underlined concerns about Iran using the knowledge gained from the Ukraine war to "continue threatening" other parts of the world.
Russia's usage of Iranian drones has prompted Ukraine's allies to come together in various ways to try and help Kiev, with Turkey and the United States sending in drones and the Israeli occupation providing Kiev with intelligence on the Iranian drones being used in Ukraine, cementing Iran's capabilities when it came to its drone program.
Additionally, CIA Director William Burns said in December that his country was concerned about the growing cooperation between Russia and Iran and fears that it could eventually evolve into a full defense partnership.
In an interview for PBS, Burns said that "historically, there's a lot of mistrust between Russians and Iranians, but they need each other right now."
"Quite worried," said the CIA director in response to a question about how worried is Washington about the Russian-Iranian relationship, adding that "what's beginning to emerge is at least the beginnings of a full-fledged defense partnership between Russia and Iran."
He claimed that this relationship is "already having an impact on the battlefield in Ukraine," warning that "it can have an even more dangerous impact on the Middle East as well if it continues."
In a related context, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly claimed that "sordid deals" between Russia and Iran were threatening global security.
In a press release published on the website of the UK government, Cleverly accused Iran of providing Russia with hundreds of drones to use in Ukraine, adding that Tehran "is now one of Russia’s top military backers."
He also claimed that Russia was offering military and technical support to the Iranian government, which will "increase the risk it poses to our partners in the Middle East and to international security."
