Russia is sending upgraded drones used in the Ukraine war to Iran, officials say

Ukrainian air defense intercepts a Shahed drone mid-air in the third Russia aerial attack on the capital in the last 24 hours in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File)

LONDON — Russia is sending a shipment of drones to Iran including upgraded versions of the drone technology that Tehran originally supplied to Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine, U.S. and European officials told The Associated Press.

Iran has been firing drone barrages at Israel, its Gulf neighbors and U.S. bases across the Middle East for more than a month following the U.S. and Israeli attack on the country. While Iran has its own stocks of Shahed drones, Russia has made improvements to the design during the war in Ukraine, including adding better navigation capabilities.

Russian and Iranian officials have had “very active” discussions this month regarding transferring drones from Russia to Iran, the European intelligence official told AP. A U.S. defense official said it is unclear if the shipment is a one-time delivery or part of a series. Neither official could say how significant the delivery is or how many drones were sent. Another European official said a small number of drones would not have a major impact on the outcome of the war. All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

The U.S. defense official said Moscow’s motivation in giving Tehran more advanced drones is also unclear given that every munition sent to Tehran is one Russia is not able to launch at Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Friday in Paris after the Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting that “there is nothing Russia is doing for Iran that is in any way impeding or affecting our operation or the effectiveness of it.” The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment.

The European official said their intelligence suggests a drone shipment is on its way, but that they could not confirm exactly how the drones are being transported. Two convoys of trucks carrying what Russia has described as humanitarian aid have travelled to Iran from Russia via Azerbaijan and it’s possible they could contain drones, the European official said.

The Russian Embassy in the Azerbaijani capital Baku said that seven trucks with 150 tons of food and other aid crossed to Astara in northern Iran on Friday while Russia’s Emergency Ministry said 313 tons of medicine also was delivered to Astara by rail, the Interfax news agency reported.

A second European official said their country hasn’t been able to confirm Russian drone transfers to Iran, but said if drones are being transported by truck, their numbers are likely small and could be a largely symbolic gesture to maintain Moscow’s relations with Tehran. Moscow is helping Iran with targeting, the official added.

Russia and Iran are sharing intelligence

The U.K.’s latest defense intelligence assessment says Russia almost certainly provided training and intelligence, including on types of drones and electronic warfare, with Iran ahead of the war in the Middle East. Iran is also sharing information with Russia “quite generously,” the European intelligence official said, adding that Russian officials knew that Ali Larijani — a top Iranian security official — was dead before the rest of the world.

But Russia’s relationship with Iran has been rocky, the European official said, adding that Iranian officials felt “deeply disappointed” after Russia did not help Iran during its 2025 conflict with Israel which led to Trump ordering an attack on three key Iranian nuclear sites.

Asked on Thursday about reports in the Financial Times that Russia was supplying drones to Iran, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described them as “false news stories.”

Russia and Iran signed a US$1.7 billion deal for Iran’s Shahed drone technology after President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022 and Moscow began using the Iranian imports in battle later that year.

The Iranian drones were first shipped disassembled to Russia but a production line was later opened at the Alabuga plant in Russia’s central Tatarstan region. The plant has since rapidly expanded and recruited more workers including African women who say they were tricked into making drones.

Russia produced more advanced versions of Iran’s drones

Russian specialists have adapted and refined the Shahed drone by creating decoys with no explosives that are designed to overwhelm air defenses. They also have variously added jet engines, cameras, advanced anti-jammers, radio links, AI computing platforms or Starlink internet devices.

Drone debris found in Ukraine also indicates further cooperation between Iran and Russia on war technology, including exchanges in advanced anti-jamming systems and jet-powered engines that also are used to power Iran’s cruise missiles.

The U.S. official said it is not clear which version or versions of the drone Moscow is shipping to Iran.

Earlier this year, Ukrainian officials said Russian troops lost access to their Starlink satellite internet terminals on the front line after Ukraine asked Elon Musk’s SpaceX to help deny Russia use of the service in Ukraine. Russian forces consequently lost command-and-control capabilities and navigation for Starlink-capable drones.

Moscow may be giving its Starlink-capable drones to Iran because it has become more difficult for Russian forces to use them in Ukraine, the U.S. official said. Or Moscow might be providing Iran with other Shahed variants that are jet-propelled, use AI to pilot the drone even without a signal or that are equipped with cameras for reconnaissance, the U.S. official said.

More advanced drones create problems for the U.S and its allies

The delivery of advanced Russian drones to Iran could challenge the ability of the U.S. and its allies to intercept incoming drones, depending on how many Russian drones are sent or what Iran does with the more advanced Russian technology, the official said.

Jet propelled drones are faster and therefore significantly harder for the U.S’s anti-drone system currently in the Middle East to take down without relying on limited stocks of expensive high-end weapons.

Emma Burrows, The Associated Press