Tensions after Russia launches missiles from occupied nuclear plant
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reiterated yesterday (Saturday) what he previously said that the United States believes that officials from Russia visited an airport in Iran recently to inspect drones with attack capabilities, adding, “As far as we know, this is the first time that a delegation has visited Russians this airport to attend such a show.”
Last week, Washington said it had information that Iran was preparing to supply Russia with several hundred drones, including those capable of carrying weapons, and that Tehran was preparing to train Russian forces to use them.
Although Tehran and Moscow denied the authenticity of this information, Sullivan said in a statement: “We are assessing information regarding an official Russian delegation receiving an offer about Iranian unmanned aircraft with attack capabilities.” Sullivan’s statement included satellite images on June 8 showing Iranian drones “seen by the Russian government delegation that day.” He added that similar aircraft were displayed on a second Russian visit to the airport on July 5.
In a related context, Kyiv said that the situation is “very tense” in the south of the country with the intensification of the Russian bombing of a number of Ukrainian cities, and also the Russian forces’ deployment of missile launchers at the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia (south), and accused the Russian forces of firing from their positions at the station towards Nikopol and Dnipro regions Friday/Saturday night. Emergency services and the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region said two people were killed in Nikopol in southern Ukraine on Saturday when the town came under heavy Russian shelling.
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