Ukraine war: US says Iran now Russia's 'top military backer'

Key Facts

Mr Kirby said that a partnership between Iran and Russia to produce drones would be harmful to Ukraine, Iran's neighbours and the international community.
"Russia is seeking to collaborate with Iran in areas like weapons development, training," he said, adding that the US fears that Russia intended to "provide Iran with advanced military components" including helicopters and air defence systems.
He said the UK agreed with the US that Iranian support for the Russian military would grow in the coming months as Russia tries to get hold of more weapons, including hundreds of ballistic missiles.
Iran initially denied this, but later admitted sending a "limited number" of drones to Russia, "many months" before the war in Ukraine.