Russia is seizing weapons and equipment sent by the US and NATO to Ukraine that were left on the battlefield in Ukraine and sending them to Iran, with Washington suggesting that Tehran will try to reverse engineer these weapons systems. told CNN.

It is noted that the term reverse engineering means disassembly, detailed study and analysis of a device to discover the ideas used in its design, usually with the aim of creating something similar.

Over the past year, U.S., NATO and other Western officials have witnessed numerous instances of Russian forces getting their hands on smaller shoulder-mounted weapons, including Javelin anti-tank systems and Stinger anti-aircraft systems, which Ukrainian forces in some cases have been forced to were to throw them on the battlefield, the sources told CNN.

Transportation of equipment for dissolution and analysis

In many of these cases, the sources said, Russia then sent the equipment to Iran for dismantling and analysis, likely so the Iranian military could try to build its own version of the weapon. The sources added that Russia believes continued Western arms supplies to Iran would give Tehran an incentive to continue supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.

U.S. officials do not consider these arms transfers to be widespread or systematic, and the Ukrainian military has regularly reported to the Pentagon any loss of U.S. equipment that has fallen into the hands of Russian forces since the start of the Russian invasion, officials said. However, US officials acknowledge that the problem is difficult to trace.

It is unclear whether Iran has successfully reverse-engineered the weapons seized by the Russian military in Ukraine, but Tehran has proven to be very good at designing weapons systems based on US hardware found in its possession in the past.

A key weapon in Iran’s arsenal, the Toophan anti-tank guided missile was redesigned from the American BGM-71 TOW missile in the 1970s. and reverse engineered it to create a new drone that flew through Israeli airspace in 2018 before being shot down.

Senior US military officials, including US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, have both been in the Middle East in recent days to talk with their counterparts on one of the main topics of discussion – the threat posed by Iran. the Pentagon said.

“Over the past year, Russia’s military cooperation with Iran has deepened, and this creates serious problems for this region and for the security of your citizens,” Austin said at a press conference along with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galand yesterday Thursday in Tel Aviv.

“Iran is accumulating significant experience and combat experience in Ukraine that will eventually be passed on to its dangerous puppets in the Middle East,” Austin said. “In exchange for Iranian support in Ukraine, Russia is offering Iran unprecedented defense cooperation, including missiles and air defense systems,” he added.

Hundreds of drones from Iran to Russia

Massive, unexpected losses of equipment and harsh Western sanctions have made it difficult for Russia to produce the weapons and ammunition needed to continue its invasion of Ukraine. As a result, Russia has requested and received from Iran hundreds of drones, as well as heavy weaponry and tanks, which Russian forces have used with devastating effect against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.

In exchange, Iran sought billions of dollars worth of military equipment from Russia, including fighter jets, radar systems and helicopters, according to the White House.

Late last year, the Pentagon stepped up its efforts to monitor US weapons shipped to Ukraine, including through on-site inspections by US military personnel at the US embassy in Kyiv.

Earlier this year, Deputy Secretary of Defense Colin Cull told lawmakers that there were cases in the US where the Russians used some American weapons systems on the battlefield, but not in large numbers.

The State Department also said in an October statement that “the seizure of Ukrainian weapons by pro-Russian forces, including donated materials, has been a major distraction so far and could lead to further shipments.”

Source: RES-IPE