The Iranian nuclear deal is stalled
Fox News correspondent Amy Kellogg interviews a former State Department official and an adviser to Iran’s nuclear negotiating team on the latest news related to 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 released this week found Tehran modified its drones to inflict maximum damage.
A January report by Conflict Armament Research (CAR) released publicly on Thursday explained why Iran’s affordable Shahed-131 single-use drones have been deployed to significant effect in Ukraine.
Russia has relied on Iran-supplied unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Ukraine for months to help with its dwindling stockpiles of missiles as the war continues into its 11th month, according to the Pentagon.
Multipurpose warhead of a Shahed-131 UAV found in Conflict Armament Research research on Thursday. (Conflict Weapons Research)
RUSSIA LAUNCHES CLUSTER OF 13 IRANIAN-PRODUCED DRONES IN KYIV IN SUSPECTED ENERGY ATTACK
Iranian drones have been used to strike civilian facilities and target critical infrastructure in Ukraine as Russia seeks to bombard the war-torn nation in near-daily strikes.
One of the distinguishing features of the drone examined in the CAR report is the fact that not only does it have a primary charge on the forward section of the warhead, but the drone body also contained 18 smaller “shaped charges” around the warhead which generate “an anti- secondary radial reinforcement”.
The warhead also had “pre-serrated fragmentation arrays” on the front and rear of the drone which consisted of 11 layers of fragmentation cubes that are “designed to generate an additional radial fragmentation effect for soft-skinned targets”.
The fragmented dies are believed to be a later modification to the cylinder head, which was apparently added crudely as “fit, finish, alignment and quality” were described as “poor”.
Fragmentation matrix in the forward section of the warhead found during a search by Conflict Armament Research on Thursday. (Conflict Weapons Research)
IRAN MAY ‘CONTRIBUTE TO WIDESPREAD WAR CRIMES’ IN UKRAINE BY SUPPLYING RUSSIA WITH DRONES: WHITE HOUSE
But despite the lack of quality control, the multipurpose warheads are believed to have been “specifically designed for attacks against large targets such as energy infrastructure.”
CAR has previously found that the Shahed drone can be equipped with other warheads intended for different targets and strike capabilities.
A November 2022 CAR report found that other Shahed-136 UAV warheads had been reinforced with a 7mm thick steel casing which allowed it to “penetrate structures before exploding”.
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 push into Ukraine and reports this week signaled that Moscow and Tehran are moving forward with plans to develop drones in Russia.
Defense officials have become increasingly concerned about expanding relations between Russia and Iran, particularly as Moscow seeks to beef up 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 global disruptor and a threat not only to Israel or the Middle East,” Brig. Gen. (Res) Yossi Kupperwasser, security expert and senior researcher at the Israel Defense Security Forum, told Fox News Digital. “Iran should be treated as such and faced with a united front of Western powers, led by the United States”
Smoke rises after a strike by Russian drones, which local authorities consider Iranian-made Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicles, during Russia’s attack on Ukraine in Kiev on October 17, 2022. (REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)
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US intelligence officials in November were first alerted to Moscow-Tehran plans to produce Iranian drones in Russia, which would provide faster and more efficient drone transport to Russia’s rank and file in Ukraine.
Last week, the Biden administration sanctioned eight more people on the board of Iranian drone maker Paravar Pars, which is already subject to US and EU sanctions.
