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Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visits an arms exhibition in Tehran, Iran. The United States is concerned about the increasingly close relationship between Russia and Iran. Photo/REUTERS
ABU DHABI – Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich, top commander of the United States Air Force (US) in the Middle East, expressed his concern about the increasingly close relations between Russia and Iran.
He suggested Iran’s supply of bomb-carrying drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine could allow Moscow to help Tehran’s weapons program become more lethal.
If that happens, he said, security risks throughout the Middle East will increase.
The US Air Force chief described the potential danger posed by Russia’s “cooperation and collusion” with Iran extending from its airspace in Syria, while Tehran threatens commercial ships in the waters of the Persian Gulf.
American pilots have faced what they describe as more aggressive maneuvers from Russian pilots in Syria.
That coincided with the deployment of US air power to protect commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which is the main route for 20% of all world oil production.
“I am concerned about the developing relationship between Russia and Iran and the supply of drones to Russia,” Grynkewich told reporters during a press conference at the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi, as quoted by the Air Force Times, Thursday (21/9/2023).
“Who would have thought that the Russian Federation would need to go to Iran to gain military capabilities, but we are still there. This means that Russia actually owes Iran a debt of gratitude. “I’m concerned about the level of collaboration that might occur,” he explained.
Iran’s UN mission and the Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.