[...]

QUESTION: [...] there are reports that during last couple of weeks Russian officials conducted training in Iran as part of the agreement on UAV transfers from Iran to Russia. Any reaction to those reports? Thank you so much again.

MR PATEL: Sorry about the delay there. Thanks for your question. I will answer the last one first. So on the delivery of UAVs to Russia, what I will first say and go back to is, as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN in July, the U.S. Government has information indicating Iran is preparing to provide Russia with several hundred UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs. We’ve also said that we assess an official Russian delegation recently received a showcase of Iranian attack-capable UAVs. We can confirm that during the last several weeks, Russian officials conducted training in Iran as part of the agreement of the UAV transfers.

Let me be clear: We will vigorously enforce all U.S. sanctions on both the Russian and Iranian arms trades. The kind of transactions you’re mentioning are potentially sanctionable under numerous authorities, including but not limited to Russia-specific authorities and our worldwide nonproliferation sanctions. We remain incredibly concerned about Iran’s use and proliferation of UAVs. They have been used to attack U.S. forces, our partners in the region, and international shipping entities. We will continue to use all available tools, including but not limited to sanctions, to prevent, deter, and dismantle the procurement network that supply UAV-related material and technology to Iran.

[...]