The confrontation of the nuclear agreement with Iran
Fox News correspondent Amy Kellogg interviews a former State Department official and adviser to Iran’s nuclear negotiating team on the latest news surrounding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Iran’s supply of drones to Russia for its war effort in Ukraine appears to have increased in recent months after a study published this week found that Tehran has modified its drones to employ maximum damage.
A January report from Conflict Armament Research (CAR) released publicly on Thursday broke down why cheaply made Iranian Shahed-131 single-use drones have been employed to significant effect in Ukraine.
Russia has relied on Iranian-supplied unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Ukraine for months to help with its dwindling missile stockpiles as the war continues into its 11th month, according to the Pentagon.
Multi-purpose warhead from a Shahed-131 UAV found in an investigation by Conflict Armament Research on Thursday. (Conflict Weapons Research)
RUSSIA LAUNCHES GROUP OF 13 IRAN-MADE DRONES IN kyiv ON SUSPECTED ENERGY ATTACK
Iranian drones have been used to attack civilian structures and target Ukraine’s critical infrastructure as Russia seeks to bomb the war-torn nation in near-daily strikes.
One of the defining characteristics of the drone reviewed in the CAR report is the fact that it not only has a main charge in the forward section of the warhead, but the body of the drone also contained 18 smaller “shaped charges” around the nose. warhead that generates “a secondary radial anti-armor effect”.
The warhead also had “pre-sawed fragmentation dies” at the front and rear of the drone that consisted of 11 layers of fragmentation cubes that are “designed to generate additional radial fragmentation effect for soft-skinned targets.”
The fragmented dies are believed to be a later modification to the warhead, apparently crudely added as “fit, finish, alignment and quality” were described as “poor”.
Fragmentation matrix in the forward section of the warhead found during investigation by Conflict Armament Research on Thursday. (Conflict Weapons Research)
IRAN MAY ‘CONTRIBUTE TO WIDESPREAD WAR CRIMES’ IN UKRAINE BY PROVIDING DRONES TO RUSSIA: WHITE HOUSE
But despite the lack of quality control, the multi-purpose warheads are believed to have been “designed specifically for strikes against large targets such as energy infrastructure.”
CAR previously discovered that the Shahed drone can be equipped with other warheads intended for different targets and attack abilities.
A November 2022 CAR report found that other Shahed-136 UAV warheads had been reinforced with a 7mm thick steel casing that allowed it to “penetrate structures before detonating”.
The varied warhead could also be fitted with a delayed fuse mechanism “designed to initiate the main charge once inside the intended target”.
The findings come as Russia prepares for a major offensive in Ukraine and reports this week noted that Moscow and Tehran were moving forward with plans to develop drones in Russia.
Defense officials are increasingly concerned about the expanding relationship between Russia and Iran, particularly as Moscow seeks to bolster its defenses with other Western adversaries such as North Korea and China.
“Witnessing the strengthening of the Russia-Iran alliance, and Russia’s use of Iranian weapons to perpetrate war crimes in Ukraine, it should be clear to the world that Iran is a disruptor and a global threat that not only concerns Israel or the Middle East. East”, Brigadier. Gen. (Res) Yossi Kupperwasser, a security expert and senior fellow at the Israel Defense Security Forum, told Fox News Digital. “Iran should be treated as such and be met with a unified front of Western powers, led by the US.”
Smoke rises after a Russian drone strike, which local authorities consider to be an Iranian-made Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicle, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine in Kiev on October 17, 2022. (REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)
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In November, US intelligence officials were first alerted to plans by Moscow and Tehran to manufacture Iranian drones in Russia, which would provide faster and more efficient delivery of drones to Russia’s ranks in Ukraine.
Last week, the Biden administration sanctioned eight additional people on the board of directors of Iranian drone maker Paravar Pars, which is already under US and EU sanctions.
