John Healey, the UK Defence Secretary, has suggested that Russia may be influencing Iran’s use of drone attacks in its war with the US and Israel.
According to Healey, Putin’s “hidden hand” may be behind some of Iran’s tactics in the Middle East conflict, which began on February 28 with strikes on Iran by the US and Israel.
He told reporters that officials were examining an Iranian-made drone that struck the UK’s RAF Akrotiri air base in Cyprus on March 1 for “any evidence of Russian or any other foreign components and parts.”
“We will update you and appropriately publish any findings when we’ve got them,” he said during a visit to Britain’s military headquarters in Northwood Headquarters near London.
“But I think no one will be surprised to believe that Putin’s hidden hand is behind some of the Iranian tactics, potentially some of their capabilities as well, not least because one world leader that is benefiting from the sky-high oil prices at the moment is Putin,” he added.
Russia is a close ally of Iran, with the two countries agreeing last year to cooperate in countering what they described as “common threats”.
US President Donald Trump said he had no indication that Russia was supporting Iran in the conflict, but added that if it were, it was not “helping much”.
Nick Perry, the British military’s chief of joint operations, told Healey there were “definitively” signs of a link between Russia and Iran, including Iran’s use of drones “as learned from the Russians”.
No one was injured when the drone struck a hangar at RAF Akrotiri. British warplanes also shot down two additional drones heading toward the base on the same day.
Guy Foden later briefed Healey that UK troops stationed at a military base hosting international coalition forces in Erbil, Iraq, helped shoot down two Iranian drones on Wednesday.