Biden Admin Seeking To Curb Iranian Drone Deliveries To Russia

(PatrioticPost.com)- The Biden administration is working on a broad effort to stop Iran from producing and delivering drones to Russia for use in its ongoing war with Ukraine, according to a report in the New York Times.

As part of its report last Wednesday, the Times spoke with intelligence, military, and national security officials in the US, Europe, and the Middle East who described the administration’s expanding program to “choke off Iran’s ability to manufacture drones and make it harder for Russia to launch unmanned “kamikaze” aircraft” while continuing to provide Ukraine with the defensive weapons necessary to “shoot them out of the sky.”

Part of that effort includes preventing Iran from acquiring the Western-made components needed to manufacture its drones.

National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson told the New York Times that administration officials are “looking at ways to target” Iran’s drone production using sanctions and export controls, as well as speaking with private companies who manufacture the components used in production.

According to the Times, White House aides have also reached out to Israel for help.

Before Christmas, top Israeli officials held a secure video meeting with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to discuss Iran’s military relationship with Russia, including “the transfer of weapons the Kremlin is deploying against Ukraine,” according to the White House statement.

Meanwhile, the US is helping Ukraine target the sites from which the drones are being launched while providing equipment for Ukraine to detect the drones early once they are launched.

Iran’s drones are assembled mostly through parts produced in the United States, Europe, and Asia, according to the weapons research group, Conflict Armament Research.

American companies whose parts end up in Iran’s drones, including Texas Instruments, have condemned the use of their technology in the drones.

In December, CNN reported that the Biden administration was creating a task force to investigate how American technology was ending up in Iranian drones.

Since the fall, Iranian drones have been widely used in Ukraine with Russian forces deploying them to attack the country’s critical energy infrastructure.