Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "hidden hand" guiding Iran's military in its conflict with the United States and Israel, because it directly benefits his war in Ukraine, U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey said.
Iran has fired more than 2,000 Shahed drones, long-range weapons heavily used by Russia against Ukraine, across the Middle East in response to the U.S.-Israeli attack launched Feb. 28, according to The Guardian.
Healey spoke to reporters earlier this month after officers at British military headquarters in northwest London told him drone pilots from Iran and its proxies were increasingly adopting tactics from the Russians.
Lt. Gen. Nick Perry, chief of joint operations, told Healey it appeared Russia had passed tactical advice to Iran and its proxies on how to deploy the drones.
"I think no one will be surprised to believe that Putin's hidden hand is behind some of the Iranian tactics and potentially, potentially some of their capabilities as well," Healey said.
He argued that was partly because "the one world leader that is benefiting from sky-high oil prices at the moment is Putin, because it helps him with a fresh supply of funds for his brutal war in Ukraine."
The Trump administration on March 13 temporarily lifted sanctions on certain Russian oil shipments to stabilize global energy markets rattled by the conflict with Iran despite warnings it would help finance Russia's efforts in Ukraine and prolong that war.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said earlier this month that Putin denied sharing information with Iran in a call with President Donald Trump.
Putin, however, has expressed "unwavering support for Tehran" and congratulated Mojtaba Khamenei on his selection as Iran's new supreme leader after his father, Ali Khamenei, was killed in the opening hours of Operation Epic Fury.
Putin has also vowed to remain a reliable partner of the Islamic Republic.
In return for war aid from Iran, Russia has been sharing sensitive military knowledge for years, according to Bloomberg. The exchange has deepened in light of Iran's conflict with the United States, Israel, and Gulf nations.
"The lessons learned have been happening throughout the course of the war in Ukraine, but the implications now are here," Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a former senior U.S. intelligence official now at the Center for a New American Security, told Bloomberg. "We're seeing it now happen in real time, in a real case."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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