Most people think Iran is sending drones for nuclear weapons to Russia, Pakistan and China only for fun and formality. No! The best word to use is ‘trade’ and not send, it is a give-and-take political movement taking place between ally nations that share the same goals, and have a common enemy.
Over the years, Iran has demonstrated ability to launch “swarm” drone attacks — involving multiple suicide drones massed against a single target — so they are good to go country that Russia, Pakistan and China can join forces with.
Iran is a known arm-boutique where countries like Russia, Pakistan and Iran shop for their artillery, missiles and drones on mutual ground. These three countries needed drones for different reasons to fill different gaps and sending signal to other countries. As in the case of Russia, the rockets are wanted to keep peppering civilian infrastructure; the drones to pinpoint Ukrainian medium-range weaponry. China and Pakistan with different reasons.
Russia, Pakistan and China are in need of rockets and drones and only Iran is ready to negotiate with them and supply what they need at a price that makes the four countries form alliances that pit them almost against the rest of the world. The trade between these three countries is what also benefits Iran immensely; the hardware Iran supplied to Russia is to bring Russia on its side in its long-running dispute with Washington.
The arrival of the Iranian drones could help fill a crucial gap in Pakistan’s, China’s and Russia’s military campaign against their targets. Russia, which has 1,500 to 2,000 military surveillance UAVs, has relatively few attack drones of the type that can precisely strike targets deep inside enemy territory.
There is technological cooperation between these four countries and this has signaled dangers to the rest of the world. Iran and Russia have long held good relations and being partners in Syria’s war over the past decade.
It is safe to say that the Iranians, Pakistanis, Chinese and Russians are members of the same family. Meanwhile, Russia has really only two countries to which it can turn to “plug the capability gap” in combat drones: China and Iran. But China is deeply enmeshed in the global supply chain and does not want to supply combat UAVs because that would probably invite U.S. sanctions. This leaves Iran, which is not exposed in the same way and whose capability is homegrown, “which is what the Russians are going for,” Since Iran is also a Russian ally. So it’s the only real choice left.
Iran represents a very interesting case of having a domestic industry that grew up amid sanctions. And it represents a fairly robust capability. Even though China is not yet supplying combat UAVs to Russia, it will be smart to spot on the indirect relationship China keeps with Russia through Iran, since they flock together to make strategic national decisions that echo the same beliefs they share.
Years of punishing international sanctions have left Iran diplomatically and economically isolated, with Tehran seeking greater support from other autocratic regimes. That extends to its partnership with China, which in recent years has become Iran’s top trading partner, a leading destination for energy exports, and a major investor in Iranian industry and also to Russia and Pakistan. Read Page 2 Below
