Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Russia is supplying Iran with Shahed drones for use against the United States and Israel, according to an interview excerpt aired by CNN on Saturday.
Speaking to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Zelensky said it is “100 percent facts” that Iran has used Russian-made Shahed drones to attack US bases in the region.
Shahed drones have also been linked to several other attacks across West Asia, although the exact origin of the drones used in those incidents is not always clear.
Iran pioneered the Shahed drone programme as a much cheaper alternative to expensive missile systems. The drones first saw large-scale use during Russian invasion of Ukraine, when thousands were launched by Russian forces beginning in the autumn of 2022, according to Ukrainian officials.
While Iran initially supplied the drones to Russia, Moscow has since developed the capability to manufacture its own versions domestically. Variants of the Shahed-style loitering drones have since been adopted by the armed forces of several countries — including the US military — which says they are being used in the current campaign against Iran.
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