Russia's partnership with Iran strengthened due to war in Ukraine - British intelligence

The UK Defense Ministry said this in an intelligence update published on the X social media platform, Ukrinform reports.

"Russia's partnership with Iran has strengthened in recent years, almost certainly accelerated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine," the update said.

International isolation has forced Russia to redirect its foreign policy efforts towards previously less-desirable partnerships to gain diplomatic, economic and military support.

Iranian military aid to Russia's campaign in Ukraine has included hundreds of one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA UAV) and artillery munitions. Iranian OWA UAVs have been a core element of Russia's campaign of long-range strikes into Ukraine.

This arrangement has now been extended to include assembling and production of these UAVs, under license, in a facility in Russia.

"Russo-Iranian diplomatic and economic ties have also intensified. Russia's engagement with Iran through multinational forums will almost certainly increase following Iran's recent admission into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and its invitation to join the economic BRICS forum," the report said.

Iran recently claimed that Russia had invested $2.76 billion into Iran in 2022-2023. Economic ties are highly likely to deepen as Russia seeks to mitigate sanctions, the UK Defense Ministry said.