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US, Israel concerned by Russian-Iranian military cooperation — Blinken

The US top diplomat told reporters during his official visit to Jerusalem that Russia and Iran were allegedly exchanging sophisticated weaponry

TEL AVIV, February 1. /TASS/. Both Israel and the United States are seriously concerned by the defense cooperation between Russia and Iran, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told reporters.

The US top diplomat told reporters during his official visit to Jerusalem that Russia and Iran were allegedly exchanging sophisticated weaponry.

"Not only is Iran providing sophisticated military equipment to Russia, but Russia in turn is doing the same with Iran, which is, of course, of real concern to us and real concern to Israel," he claimed.

"So we continued what has been an ongoing discussion of ways that we can continue to work together, collaborate - and not just us - with other countries - in countering the malicious actions that Iran is engaged in, whether it’s in this region or beyond," Blinken added.

Earlier, the US Department of Commerce blacklisted seven Iranian organizations for for "contributing to Russia’s military and defense industrial base through the production of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are being transferred to Russia for use in Ukraine."

Moscow and Tehran have repeatedly denied reports on supplies of Iranian drones to Russia for their use in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called such reports "bogus stories" and emphasized that the Russian army uses drones of domestic production. In early November 2022, the head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that the Islamic Republic supplied drones to Russia, but in small quantities and a few months before the start of the military operation in Ukraine.

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United States Iran Israel Antony Blinken

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