The US has no evidence that Russia is buying drones from Iran, the White House says, noting it has seen no signs of a purchase weeks after the White House claimed that a deal for hundreds of UAVs may have already happened.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby toned down the allegations during a Tuesday press briefing, stating that the White House has not seen any deal “that has been actually affected.”
“We’ve seen no indications of any sort of actual delivery and/or purchase of Iranian drones by the Russian Ministry of Defense,” Kirby said.
His remarks come more than two weeks after National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Washington had clear evidence that Iran was preparing to deliver “several hundred” drones to Russia, “including weapons-capable UAVs,” and that the sale would be completed on an “expedited timeline.” At the time, Sullivan said training for the new vehicles would begin within days, and went as far as to suggest that deliveries may have already begun.