White House warns: Russian buying chips, tech from Iran, North Korea and China

The Biden administration warned on Thursday that Russia continues to clandestinely purchase chips and advanced technology from foreign sources, including Iran, North Korea and China.

“Russia has turned to other countries, if you can imagine the partners of Iran and North Korea, to fill some gaps in its procurement that are created by our products leaving the Russian market,” US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration Thea Kendler told reporters in Tokyo, according to Bloomberg. “We know that Russia is using Iranian drones in Ukraine, to kill civilians.”

On Sunday, sources inside Iran told The Guardian that Iran has used boats and a state-owned airline to smuggle new types of advanced long-range armed drones to Russia for use in its war on Ukraine.

At least 18 of the drones were delivered to President Vladimir Putin’s navy after Russian officers and technicians made a special visit to Tehran in November, where they were shown a full range of Iran’s technologies, the report said.

In July, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the US had intelligence indicating that Russia is looking to Iran for UAVs.

A month later, it was reported that Iran had begun training Russians to use its drones, though it was also noted that Russia is experiencing “numerous failures” and technical glitches with the drones it purchased from Iran.

At the start of October, Iranian-made drones were also reportedly used in an attack in the Ukrainian town of Bila Tserkva, southwest of the capital Kyiv.

The latest revelations come as G7 nations are in discussions over whether to sanction companies in Iran, North Korea and China accused of exporting to Russia technology that has military applications, Bloomberg reported.

The goal is to come to an agreement on a series of sanctions by February 24, the first anniversary of the start of the invasion of Ukraine, sources told the outlet.

(Israel National News’ North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)