Ukraine crisis: Russia wants to purchase attack-capable drones from Iran

US national security advisor Jake Sullivan has said that Russian officials visited an airfield in Iran recently to view attack-capable drones.
According to him, ''To our knowledge, this is the first time a Russian delegation has visited this airfield for such a showcase.''

It comes after Washington said that Tehran is preparing to train Russian forces to use up to several hundred drones.

Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) captured by satellite imagery were seen during the visit of Russian officials.

In a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian rejected US accusations about Iranian drones being sent to Russia for use in the war against Kyiv as useless.

Amid US President Joe Biden's visit to the Middle East, Tehran announced its first naval drone-carrying division in the Indian Ocean.

News agency Reuters quoted a senior US administration official as saying "Russia is effectively making a bet on Iran and we are making a bet on a more integrated, more stable, more peaceful and prosperous Middle East region."

Iran's growing ties with Russia has been used by Biden as a rallying cry to press Arab countries to take a harder stance on the Ukraine crisis.