Russia gets drones from Iran as the two nations strengthen ties

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

54% : Despite Moscow's alignment with Iran, Russia so far has maintained friendly relations with Tehran's adversaries in the Middle East, including Israel, which has enjoyed a pragmatic relationship with Russia.
53% : The delivery is part of Russian plans to import "hundreds" of drones from Iran, the officials said.
53% : Since the war began, Iran has become the number one purchaser of Russia's grain, and the two countries have announced agreements to bolster trade, including a $40 billion deal to enlist Russian help to develop Iran's gas fields.
53% : Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior foreign policy adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in July that Russia had established itself as a reliable partner for Iran, and that the Islamic Republic should give up trying to accommodate the West and instead look to Moscow for support and shared strategic interests.
52% :"Relations between Russia and Iran are assuming a more serious character, a more strategic character than before because the calculation has changed," the foreign official said.
50% : The official said that "the very fact that Iran is going to provide drones to attack Ukrainians is a very important development, which cannot be ignored," and added that Washington was still weighing how to respond.
49% : Facing a protracted war in Ukraine and a wall of Western sanctions, Russia is turning to Iran to bolster its military and keep its economy afloat, as both countries' interests converge.
46% : The partnership between Russia and Iran has been building for more than a decade but it has accelerated since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, with Tehran providing armed drones to Russia and Moscow launching an Iranian satellite, according to U.S. officials.
46% : But Russia's growing cooperation with Iran has raised the possibility that Moscow could end its understanding with Israel, though there is no evidence such a move is imminent or that Israel's freedom of action has been curtailed, former U.S. officials said.
43% : I haven't seen Iran provide that to Russia before.
43% : The Russian invasion of Ukraine triggered a wave of economic sanctions from Washington and its European allies, placing Moscow in position similar to Iran, which for years has been shut out of Western economies and the international financial system.
43% : Military experts told NBC News that Iran has built up a significant drone fleet, including "kamikaze" drones, that would fill a gap in Russia's armed forces.
42% : Russia's increasing cooperation with Iran could also complicate diplomacy outside the Ukraine conflict, including efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
41% : Iran denied that was the case and said the satellite would be used for scientific research related to agriculture.
41% :"Iran can try to help Russia evade sanctions without the JCPOA or with the JCPOA.
40% : Both countries share a common foe and a shared goal of circumventing financial and other sanctions, with Iran accumulating years of experience trying to undercut U.S. measures.
38% :Barred from importing Western technology and with China wary of openly breaching U.S. sanctions, Russia has sought out drones from Iran to fill a major gap in its arsenal, as the Russian military has failed to develop combat drones able to strike targets behind enemy lines.
36% : With Moscow and Tehran essentially barred from the SWIFT international bank messaging system, the two countries have agreed to use domestic messaging services as an alternative, according to Iranian media.
35% : But some skeptics of the deal argue that deepening ties between Moscow and Tehran could mean that if sanctions were lifted on Iran, the regime would be better placed to help Russia counter the effects of its economic isolation.

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