Russia and Iran are going forward with their joint plan to build an Iranian drone-manufacturing plant in Russia, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article.
The plant, according to WSJ, could manufacture at least 6,000 Iranian-designed drones for use by Russia in Ukraine.
Russia quietly reached an agreement with Iran in November 2022 to begin manufacturing hundreds of weaponized drones on Russian soil, according to new intelligence seen by the US and other Western security agencies, the Washington Post reported at the time.
Officials from Moscow and Tehran finalized the deal during a meeting in Iran in early November, accelerating the exchange of key components and designs that would allow production to begin within months.
US and Israel involvement in the Iran-Russia drone alliance
In December 2022, the New York Times reported that the Biden administration had begun making efforts to stop the flow of Iranian drone technology into Russia. The Times article also stated that, in order to stop Russia's destructive drone attacks on Ukraine using Iranian drones, the US was strengthening ties with Israel - "an ally with a long history of undermining Iran's nuclear program."
In fact, various foreign intelligence sources reported last week that the recent drone attack on Iran's nuclear plant in Isfahan was carried out by Israeli forces.
Roman Meitav contributed to this report.