Washington: Iran is helping Russia build a fully operational drone factory near Moscow

The White House said that Iran is in the process of helping Russia build a factory for drones near the capital, Moscow, at a time when the two countries continue to deepen their military cooperation.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Friday, that the factory can operate at full capacity early next year.

The White House released satellite images of the alleged site in Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone, about 1,100 km east of Moscow.

Kirby stressed that the support between the two countries is mutual, especially after Moscow offered Iran unprecedented defense cooperation, including in the field of missiles, electronics and air defense, while Tehran is seeking billions of dollars worth of military equipment.

Last April, Iranian officials announced that they had finalized a deal to purchase Su35 fighter jets from Russia.

In return, Tehran provided Russia with hundreds of drones, in addition to Moscow’s assistance in building the new facility, according to the same source.

The US official stated that his country has always confirmed that the drone transfers are violations of current UN Security Council resolutions, but with Russia having the right of Veto within the council, no action was taken.

“This is a broad defense partnership that harms Ukraine, Iran’s neighbors and the international community,” he stressed.

He continued, “We continue to use all the tools at our disposal to expose and disrupt these activities, including sharing this information with the world, and we are ready to do more in this direction”.

The White House stated that the drones are transported from Iran through the coastal city of Amirabad overlooking the Caspian Sea to Makhachkala in Dagestan, Russia, and then sent to Russian forces at the western air bases in Sisha and Primorsko-Akhtarsk for use in Ukraine.