Five Things to Know about Putin’s Increasing Reliance on Iran

Russia’s use of Iranian drones in Ukraine — first documented earlier this month — is an example of “the greatest degree of military cooperation that the two countries have had,” said Becca Wasser, a senior fellow for the Defense Program with the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).

It appears to be an extension of the deeply transactional attitudes of the two countries, Wasser said.

Iran can showcase itself as a weapons supplier to potential buyers who aren’t purchasing weapons from the U.S., the West or even China — “if they’re able to get around sanctions” on Iran, Wasser added.

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Violations of Resolution 2231 could, in effect, be used to snap back U.N. Security Council sanctions on Iran, but that is unlikely given Russia’s veto power on the council.

Jonathan Lord, senior fellow and director of the Middle East Security program at CNAS, said that the action at the Security Council is likely more about “bringing public pressure and attribution to something that Iran is still denying that it’s doing, as implausible as that is.”

The U.S. and European Union have imposed their own sanctions related to Iran’s drone sales to Russia, and their positions at the U.N. could help pressure other countries to join in, he added.

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