Iran has sent members of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to a base in Crimea to help Russian soldiers operate drones purchased from Iran, according to U.S. officials. Originally, Russia had sent its personnel to Iran for such training. Iran denied the claim.
News Briefs
October 17, 2022
The United States said that Iran's supply of drones to Russia is a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the resolution that endorsed the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers. France and the United Kingdom had earlier offered similar assessments.
-- Reuters
October 16, 2022
Iran is planning to transfer Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, according to U.S. and allied security officials. Iran is also preparing new deliveries of dozens of Mohajer-6 drones and a larger number of Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones.
-- Washington Post
October 7, 2022
October 7, 2022- The United States and United Kingdom held a joint military exercise in the Persian Gulf involving three Saildrone Explorer sea drones. During the drill, the unmanned surveillance ships searched for a target and relayed images to American and British warships as well as to a command center. In recent months, Iran seized and released the same model of sea drone on two separate occasions in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.
-- Associated Press
September 28, 2022
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on September 28 that it had launched ballistic missiles and drones against Iranian Kurdish militants based in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. According to Iraqi state media, the strikes landed near Erbil and Sulaimaniya, killing 13 and wounding 58, including civilians. Iran had earlier accused the militants of supporting protests across Iran. Iraq criticized the Iranian operation as a breach of its sovereignty. The same day, U.S. forces reported downing an Iranian drone heading toward Erbil.
-- Reuters
September 26, 2022
The Houthis held a military parade in Sanaa, Yemen on September 21 showcasing new weapon systems, including missiles apparently from Iran. These included "Falaq" ballistic missiles, which resembled the Iranian Qiam liquid-fueled ballistic missile; a "Karar" missile which was consistent with Iran's Fateh-110 solid-fueled ballistic missile; and a "Hatim" missile which resembled the Iranian Kheibar Shekan, a longer-range variant of the Fateh-110.
-- Janes
September 25, 2022
A spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force said that Russia had launched 10 Iranian-manufactured Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones around Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on September 24 and that Ukrainian forces had shot down eight of them. The spokesman also said that Ukraine's military had shot down an Iranian-made Mohajer-6 strike-and-reconnaissance drone operated by Russia in Ukraine's south. Ukraine also claimed to have downed four of Russia's Shahed-136 drones in Mykolaiv Oblast on September 22 and another six Iranian-manufactured kamikaze drones on September 23.
-- Ukrainska Pravda
September 24, 2022
Ukraine revoked the accreditation of the Iranian ambassador in Kyiv and reduced the number of diplomatic staff allowed at the Iranian embassy after Ukrainian forces shot down multiple Iranian-made drones operated by Russia. Nasser Kanani, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, described Ukraine's actions as "regrettable" and said that Iran would "respond appropriately."
-- Al Jazeera
September 22, 2022
During a military parade, Iran unveiled a new ballistic missile called Rezvan. The single-stage missile is powered by liquid fuel, has a separating warhead, and can reach a claimed range of up to 1,400 kilometers.
-- Tasnim News Agency
September 15, 2022
Iran signed a Memorandum of Obligations to become a permanent member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at the group's summit in Uzbekistan. The SCO is a security body led by China and including India, Russia, Pakistan, and four Central Asian states. Iran's full membership is expected to go into effect in April 2023, making it the ninth SCO member.
-- Al Jazeera