Russia Bolstering Iran Stockpiles with Shipments of Drone Components and Ammunition: Report

FILE – An Iranian Shahed exploding drone launched by Russia flies through the sky seconds before it struck buildings in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)

Russia has allegedly been bolstering Iran militarily with shipments of ammunition, drone parts and TNT, according to a report.

The Russian shipments, sent via the Caspian Sea, have helped refill Iranian stockpiles, according to NBC, which cited a document from the European government and said it was verified by a Western official.

“Iran’s procurement of drone components and small arms ammunition from Russia strongly suggests that Israeli and U.S. military strikes on Iran’s facilities that produce these items have degraded Iran’s domestic capability to produce them,” former CIA analyst Jim Lamson told the network.

Iran has “to rely, at least for the short term, on foreign suppliers for these items, until it is able to rebuild the necessary facilities in-country,” he added.

The Iranians use TNT in their ballistic missile warheads and drones, according to NBC.

The supportive materials have been delivered to the Iranian port of Amirabad by more than two dozen Russian vessels mostly operating under sanctions from the U.S. and Europe, according to the report.

A Russian official denied the allegation.

“We don’t dignify fake news with an answer,” they told NBC.

The revelation of cooperation between Russia and Iran comes as both countries are embroiled in ongoing conflicts.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 in a war that has continued to drag on, with the conflict costing Russia 450,000 deaths and 1.4 million battlefield casualties, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Meanwhile, the Iran conflict, which began with joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28, has shown no signs of slowing down and has caused the deaths of 18 American service members.

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