Бен Уоллес
Britain says Russia to give Iran advanced military components in exchange for drones
Reuters: Britain accused Russia of planning to give Iran advanced military components in exchange for hundreds of drones, British defence minister Ben Wallace said on Tuesday, calling on the West to do more to expose the trade.
"Iran has become one of Russia's top military backers," Wallace told parliament as part of a statement on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
"In return for having supplied more than 300 kamikaze drones, Russia now intends to provide Iran with advanced military components, undermining both Middle East and international security — we must expose that deal. In fact, I have, just now."
Wallace did not provide detail on the type of military components he said Russia wanted to give Iran. The Russian defence ministry and Iran's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Britain, along with Western allies, has provided military assistance to Ukraine following the invasion, which Russia refers to as a "special operation" to demilitarise its neighbour and rid it of nationalists.
Earlier on Tuesday, the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told Iran's foreign minister that Tehran should immediately halt military support for Russia.
Iran has acknowledged sending drones to Russia but said they were sent before Moscow invaded Ukraine in February. Moscow has denied its forces used Iranian drones in Ukraine.
On Monday, Russia attacked Ukraine with dozens of "kamikaze" drones, hitting critical infrastructure in and around Kyiv in what was Moscow's third air attack on the Ukrainian capital in less than a week.
"Kamikaze" or "suicide" drones are cheaply produced, disposable unmanned aircraft that fly towards their target before plummeting at speed and detonating on impact.
Britain, the United States and the European Union have sanctioned Iranian military figures and defence manufacturers believed to be involved in the supply of Iranian drones to Russia.
In World
-
The European Union is set to introduce new sanctions targeting Russia’s so-called "shadow fleet" following a high-profile incident in the Baltic Sea that raised concerns over regional security and environmental risks, according to a statement by the European Commission and EU foreign policy chief Kai Kallas.
-
Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambitious proposal to purchase Greenland, the world’s largest island, has reemerged as a topic of debate, with close aides and allies claiming it remains a serious consideration for his potential second term. However, Greenlandic and Danish officials reiterated their disagreement with this concept, calling it an affront to their sovereignty, according to an article in the New York Post.
-
On December 26, flowers were laid at the General Consulate of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Aktau in memory of the Azerbaijanis who lost their lives in the plane crash. Posters appeared on the walls as a tribute to the victims.
-
Protests broke out on Tuesday in several predominantly Christian neighborhoods of Damascus after a video circulated online showing a group of people burning a Christmas tree near Hama in central Syria, according to Western media reports.
Leave a review