Iran’s growing involvement in Russia's war in Ukraine may have lasting implications for stability in the Middle East, a top US official said on Tuesday.
The warning from Dana Stroul, deputy assistant secretary of defence for the Middle East, comes as military ties deepen between Moscow and Tehran, which the US says has supplied Russia with drones, artillery and tank rounds.
“We are now at a point where Iranian threats are no longer specific to the Middle East, but a global challenge,” Ms Stroul said.
“That is a result of the increasing military co-operation between Iran and Russia and the illicit transfer by Iran to Russia of one-way attack drones that are being used in Ukraine to kill Ukrainian civilians.”
Western nations say Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed-136 drones that have helped Russia wreak havoc on Ukraine's power grid.
Iran has denied supplying drones to Russia.
The White House said Russia is considering supplying Iran with fighter jets and other military equipment. Ms Stroul expressed alarm over the flourishing military partnership.
“It is reasonable to expect that the tactics, techniques and procedures that the Iranians are learning and perfecting in Ukraine will one day come back to threaten our partners in the Middle East,” she told reporters during a virtual briefing.
On Monday, Russia launched another barrage of drones towards the capital Kyiv and the city of Khmelnytskyi in western Ukraine.
For years, Iran has been developing advanced drone technology often employed by the Houthi rebels in Yemen, but their growing influence outside the Middle East has US officials concerned.
Iran displays drones at secret underground base — in pictures
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Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri, left, Iran's Armed Forces Chief of Staff, and Maj Gen Abdolrahim Mousavi, Army Commander-in-Chief, visit an underground drone base at an undisclosed location in Iran. AFP -
Iranian state media revealed the existence of a drone base, said to be in the Zagros Mountains, in reports on a visit to the facility by Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri, left, Iran's Armed Forces Chief of Staff. Reuters -
The Iranian Army released photos of a wide variety of drones lined up in long tunnels. AFP -
Iranian Army drones believed to be held at an underground facility in the Zagros Mountains, a range that runs 1,600 kilometres through Iran, Iraq and Turkey. AFP -
An army drone at an underground drone base somewhere in Iran. AFP -
An army drone at an underground drone base somewhere in Iran. Senior officers in the Iranian military say its drone force gives it regional leadership. AFP -
An Iranian military drone is inspected at a secret underground site. Reuters -
Iran's unmanned aircraft programme has come up with dozens of kinds of drones since the middle of the 1980s. AFP -
Reminders of the Iranian Army's revolutionary heritage are seen at an underground facility when drones are stored. AFP -
An army drone at an underground base somewhere in Iran. AFP -
An army drone at an underground base somewhere in Iran. AFP -
An army drone at an underground base somewhere in Iran. AFP -
Iran's missile development has come along in tandem with programmes to developed military drones. AFP -
Iran's Armed Forces Chief of Staff Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri and Army Commander-in-Chief Maj Gen Abdolrahim Mousavi. AFP -
Photos from an underground Iranian military base show development of several drone platforms. AFP -
A heavy payload for a drone at a secret underground base somewhere in Iran. AFP -
Iran introduced the IAIO Fotros surveillance drone late in 2013. AFP -
Iran's developing missile technology has been used by Tehran's allies around the Middle East. AFP -
An army drone at an underground base somewhere in Iran. Reuters -
An army drone at an underground base somewhere in Iran. AFP -
An army drone at an underground base somewhere in Iran. Reuters
