Russian officials have recently visited Iran twice to assess combat drones, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Saturday, as Moscow looks to bolster its arsenal for the war in Ukraine.

Iran's military hosted two showcases for Russian delegations at the Kashan airfield, on June 8 and again on July 5, Sullivan said in a statement.

Satellite imagery released by the White House shows Shahed-191 and Shahed-129 drones at or flying near the site.

The White House said earlier this week that it believes Moscow is looking to acquire hundreds of the drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — and that Tehran is set to train Russian forces to use them as soon as this month.

"We assess an official Russian delegation recently received a showcase of Iranian attack-capable UAVs," Sullivan said Saturday.

"We are releasing these images captured in June showing Iranian UAVs that the Russian government delegation saw that day. This suggests ongoing Russian interest in acquiring Iranian attack-capable UAVs.

"To our knowledge, this is the first time a Russian delegation has visited this airfield for such a showcase," Sullivan added.

John Kirby, a spokesman for the national security council, told CNN this week that the drones can be used both for reconnaissance and to deliver munitions.

"It was important to make it clear to the world that we know that Russia needs these additional capabilities," Kirby said Tuesday. "They are expanding their resources at an accelerated rate."

The United States and allies have recently provided longer-range precision weapons to Ukrainian forces, like the Himars precision-guided missiles, boosting their capability to strike Russian targets and repel Moscow's intensifying attacks in the east.

Iran said Tuesday that "no special development" had taken place in technological cooperation with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine in February.

Drones have played a crucial role on both sides of the war in Ukraine, for everything from firing missiles from a distance, to dropping small bombs on targets, to conducting reconnaissance.

Ukraine's forces have had particular success in using Turkish-made Bayraktar armed combat UAVs, and the United States and other allies have supplied Kyiv with many types of smaller drones.

Iran unveils naval drone division as Biden tours Mideast
Tehran (AFP) July 15, 2022 –

Iran's navy on Friday unveiled its first division of ships and submarines capable of carrying armed drones, as US President Joe Biden tours the Middle East.

The United States and Israel, the sworn enemies of Iran, have previously accused the Islamic republic of using drones and missiles to attack US forces and Israel-linked ships in the Gulf.

"The first drone-carrier division of the Iranian navy consisting of ships and submarine units carrying all types of drone for combat, detection and destruction has been unveiled," state television said.

"All types of the latest advanced drones produced by the military and the defence ministry have flown over the Indian Ocean's waters to demonstrate their capabilities," it added, showing images of drones taking off from a naval vessel.

The announcement comes as Biden undertakes his first presidential visit to Israel, where he and the Jewish state's caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday signed a security pact reinforcing their common front against Iran.

Biden's trip also included a presentation of Israel's "Iron Beam" air defence system, which uses lasers to intercept drones and missiles.

"As we are aware of the aggressive attitude in the (United States') system of domination, it is necessary to increase our defensive capabilities day-by-day," Iranian army commander Abdolrahim Mousavi said on television.

"If the enemies make a mistake, (these drones) will present them with a regrettable response," he warned during the unveiling.

In October 2021, the United States imposed sanctions targeting Iran's drone programme, accusing it of supplying the technology to its allies in the region, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, the Huthis of Yemen and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday said Iran plans to deliver "hundreds of drones" to Russia to aid its war on Ukraine.

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian dismissed Sullivan's accusations as "baseless", during a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba.

Iran began developing its drone programme in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war.