WASHINGTON: The US is pressuring Iran to stop supplying military drones to Russia as part of discussions on a broader unwritten agreement between Washington and Tehran to de-escalate tensions, according to the Financial Times, citing sources briefed on the topic.
According to the article, which cites an Iranian official and another person familiar with the talks, the US is pressuring Iran to cease sending armed drones to Russia, which Moscow is utilizing in the Ukraine conflict, as well as spare components for the unmanned aircraft.
The White House and Iran’s foreign ministry did not immediately reply to requests for comment from Reuters.
The announcement comes as Washington and Tehran work to defuse tensions and restart larger negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he would welcome any Iranian moves to de-escalate its “growing nuclear threat.”
According to the publication, these discussions took occurred alongside last week’s negotiations on a prisoner exchange arrangement. Iran authorized four arrested US citizens to be transferred to house arrest from Tehran’s Evin prison, while a fifth was already housed.
According to Reuters, Iran may release five arrested US citizens as part of an agreement to unfreeze $6 billion in frozen Iranian cash in South Korea.
Source: Reuters
