US pushing Iran to stop selling drones to Russia: Reports

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US is pushing Iran to stop selling drones to Russia, as parts of wider talks to de-escalate tension and to implement a prisoner swap deal, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. 

Washington wants Tehran to stop selling armed drones, as well as spare parts of the unmanned aircraft, to Moscow, the report stated, citing official sources familiar with the matter. 

Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 drones have been repeatedly used by Russia in its attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, leading to a barrage of international sanctions and condemnations on Iran. Tehran said the drones it sent to Russia preceded the war in Ukraine, which broke out in February last year.

There have been no official comments from Iran or the US regarding the reports, but it comes as Washington and Tehran are seeking to ease tension and resume talks. 

“We’ve been clear that Iran must de-escalate to create space for future diplomacy,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Tuesday, adding that wider discussions have so far led progress in negotiations on a prisoner exchange deal. 

Five American nationals were released from Iranian prison last week and were placed under house arrest. Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, Emad Shargi, and two others who chose to have their identities concealed are the ones involved in the deal. 

“Moving our people to house arrest is a positive step, but they are not yet home,” Blinken said. 

“Nothing about our overall approach to Iran has changed.  We continue to pursue a strategy of deterrence, of pressure, and diplomacy,” he added.

There are a number of dual and foreign nationals being held in Iranian prisons on charges of spying for foreign governments with rights groups accusing Tehran of using them as bargaining chips to gain concessions from world powers.

The prisoner exchange deal has been a major point contention in US-Iran talks, particularly since Washington withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018. Talks resumed in 2021 and the revival of the deal appeared to be close last August following a proposed European Union “final” text. However, Iran’s violent crackdown a month later on protesters in the country a led to a barrage of condemnations and sanctions from the international community, also pausing the talks aimed at restoring the deal.

The use of Iranian-made drones in the Ukraine war further increased tension between Iran and the West. According to the White House, drones and spare parts are sent from Amirabad in Iran to Makhachkala in Russia’s Dagestan on ships via the Caspian Sea. They are then launched towards Ukraine from airbases in the Russian cities of Sescha and Primorsko-Akhtarsk.