US warns of deepening alliance between Iran and Russia in Ukraine

Washington threatens sanctions against those supporting ‘flow of arms from Iran to Russia’

Firefighters in action after a drone fired on buildings in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

A drone approaches for an attack in the Ukraine capital. AFP

A police officer fires at a drone flying overhead. AFP

Smoke rises from a building after a drone attack. AFP

A Ukrainian serviceman takes cover as an air-raid siren sounds. Reuters

Debris near the site of a drone attack. AFP

Police stand guard as smoke rises from buildings. Reuters

A drone in the sky seconds before it fired on buildings. AP

Plumes of smoke rise after a Russian drone strike. Reuters

The US on Monday warned of the deepening alliance between Russia and Iran in the war in Ukraine, and said it would sanction anyone helping Tehran ship drones to Moscow.

Russian forces attacked Kyiv on Monday, using what observers say were Iranian-made kamikaze drones designed to wreak havoc on the Ukrainian capital.

Vedant Patel, deputy spokesman at the State Department, said that Russia and Iran working together in Ukraine poses a “profound threat”.

“Russia deepening an alliance with Iran is something the whole world … should be [seeing] as a profound threat and something that any country should pay very close attention to,” he said.

Mr Patel said there is “extensive proof” that Russia is using Iranian drones against both military and civilian targets in Ukraine.

He warned companies and individuals against potentially contributing to Iran’s efforts to supply Russia with missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

“Anyone doing business with Iran that could have any link to UAVs or ballistic missile developments, or the flow of arms from Iran to Russia, should be very careful and do their due diligence,” Mr Patel said.

“The US will not hesitate to use sanctions or take actions against perpetrators.”

Nearly eight months since its invasion, Russia has failed to gain air superiority in Ukraine, as Ukrainian forces continue to bring down Russian aircraft thanks to weapons support from allied western countries.

The Ukraine war latest — in pictures

Smoke rises on the outskirts of the city during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters

Workers surround the Monument to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred with sandbags against damage from shelling in Mykolaiv. EPA

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev for talks before a meeting between the Russian president and the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. AFP

People take water from a water pump in Kyiv. EPA

A woman walks past a damaged building in the town of Nova Kakhovka. Reuters

A woman outside her home, which was destroyed during battles at the start of the conflict, in Yahidne, Chernihiv. Getty Images

People shelter inside a subway station during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters

Firefighters at the site of a drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

A woman walks past the site of a Russian missile strike in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. Reuters

Rescuer workers at a building destroyed in an attack in Mykolaiv. Reuters

Parts of a drone lie on a street in Kyiv. Reuters

A drone flies over the Ukrainian capital during an attack. AFP

Ukrainian servicemen tow a captured Russian armoured vehicle in Rudneve village, Kharkiv. EPA

A partially destroyed residential building in Saltivka, in Kharkiv. AP

Ukrainian servicemen fire a captured Russian howitzer on a front line near Kupyansk city, Kharkiv. EPA

Ukrainian servicemen near the recently retaken town of Lyman in Donetsk region. AFP

An officer from a Ukrainian national police emergency demining team prepares to detonate collected anti-tank mines and explosives near Lyman, in the Donetsk region. AFP

A boy playing on a destroyed Russian tank on display in Kyiv. AFP

A young couple hiding underground during an air alert in Zaporizhzhia. AFP

Ukrainian firefighters looking for survivors after a strike in Zaporizhzhia. AFP

Workers fix a banner reading 'Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson - Russia!' to the State Historical Museum near Red Square in Moscow. AFP

Residents try to cross a destroyed bridge in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. AFP

Alyona Kishinskaya helps to clean up a shop as it prepares to reopen in Balakiya, Ukraine, after a six-month Russian occupation. Getty Images

Alla, 12, has a swinging time in Balakiya, Ukraine, as life goes on despite the war. Getty Images

Ukrainian flags in the town square in Balakiya. Getty Images

A destroyed Russian command centre in Izium, Ukraine. Getty Images

In what may be a final farewell, young Russian recruits - escorted by their wives - walk to a train station in Volgograd before being sent to war in Ukraine. AP

Russian recruits board the train to Ukraine in Volgograd. AP

Ukrainian soliders drive a tank at the recently retaken eastern side of the Oskil River in Kharkiv region, Ukraine. AFP

Volunteers pass boxes of food aid on a destroyed bridge over the Oskil River. AFP

Ukrainian soliders rest on an armoured personnel carrier. AFP

A sign warns of landmines in Izyum, eastern Ukraine. AFP

This crater was left after a missile strike in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. AFP