Russia is sending a shipment of drones to Iran that includes upgraded Shahed technology versions originally supplied by Tehran to Moscow after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S. and European officials told The Associated Press. The transfer is being examined as Iran continues drone barrage operations across the Middle East, a campaign AP described as having followed a U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran and lasting more than a month.
AP reported that Russian and Iranian officials have held “very active” discussions about transferring drones this month, according to a European intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. A U.S. defense official told AP it was unclear whether the shipment would be a one-time delivery or part of a series, and both officials said they could not say how significant the delivery is or how many drones were sent. Another European official said that even a small number would not have a major impact on the outcome of the war.
The officials also raised questions about motive and impact for Russia, given the operational limits it faces in Ukraine. A U.S. defense official told AP that Moscow’s motivation in providing Tehran with more advanced drones was “also unclear,” adding that every munition sent to Tehran is one Russia is not able to launch at Ukraine. White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told AP that “nothing provided to Iran by any other country is affecting our operational success,” and said U.S. forces have struck more than 10,000 targets and destroyed more than 140 Iranian naval vessels as Iran’s drone and missile attacks decrease by 90%. The Pentagon did not respond to AP’s request for comment.
AP also reported that European intelligence suggests a drone shipment is on the way but that officials could not confirm exactly how the drones are being transported. The report cited a possibility raised by a European official that convoys of trucks carrying what Russia described as humanitarian aid could include drones. The Russian Embassy in Baku said that seven trucks with 150 tons of food and other aid crossed into northern Iran and Russia’s Emergency Ministry said 313 tons of medicine were delivered to Astara by rail, according to Interfax, AP reported. A second European official said their country had not been able to confirm Russian drone transfers but argued that if drones are moved by truck, their numbers likely would be small and could be largely symbolic, while Moscow is helping Iran with targeting.
The transfer is unfolding against a backdrop of deeper Russia-Iran military ties, including battlefield-linked intelligence and technology sharing. AP reported that the U.K.’s latest defense intelligence assessment says Russia almost certainly provided training and intelligence—“including on types of drones and electronic warfare”—with Iran having “quite generously” shared information in return. AP added that the European intelligence official said Russian officials knew that Ali Larijani, a top Iranian security official, was dead before much of the rest of the world.
AP also described a tension in the relationship, with the same European official saying Iranian officials were “deeply disappointed” after Russia did not help Iran during its 2025 conflict with Israel that led to President Donald Trump ordering an attack on three key Iranian nuclear sites. Earlier this week, AP reported that when asked on Thursday about Financial Times reports that Russia was supplying drones to Iran, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called them “false news stories.”
Russia and Iran signed a $1.7 billion deal for Iran’s Shahed drone technology after President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022, and Moscow began using Iranian imports in battle later that year, AP reported. AP said the Iranian drones were first shipped disassembled to Russia, after which a production line opened at the Alabuga plant in Russia’s central Tatarstan region, which AP said has expanded and recruited additional workers, including African women who said they were tricked into making drones.
AP further reported that Russian specialists adapted and refined the Shahed by creating decoys without explosives designed to overwhelm air defenses, and by adding capabilities including better navigation and other features such as jet engines, cameras, advanced anti-jammers, radio links, AI computing platforms and Starlink internet devices. It cited signs from drone debris found in Ukraine as indicating continuing cooperation on advanced anti-jamming systems and jet-powered engines used to power Iran’s cruise missiles.
For U.S. officials, AP said it was not clear which specific drone versions Moscow was shipping to Iran. The report said that earlier this year Ukrainian officials reported Russian troops lost access to Starlink satellite internet terminals on the front line after Ukraine asked Elon Musk’s SpaceX to help deny Russia use of the service, and it added that the U.S. official said it was possible Moscow might be transferring Starlink-capable drones to Iran because it had become more difficult for Russian forces to use them in Ukraine. AP also said the U.S. official suggested Moscow might instead be providing other Shahed variants that are jet-propelled, use AI to pilot without a signal, or are equipped with cameras for reconnaissance.
AP said more advanced Russian drones could create problems for the U.S. and its allies, depending on how many are sent and what Iran does with the technology. A U.S. official told AP that jet-propelled drones are faster and therefore “significantly harder” for current anti-drone systems in the Middle East to take down without relying on limited stocks of expensive, high-end weapons.