Russia secretly transferred 140 million euros in cash and seized British and U.S. weapons to Iran in exchange for dozens of drones for use in a special operation in Ukraine, Sky News wrote about the exchange, citing a source in the security service.

The publication learned that the Russian military plane carried money and three models of ammunition: anti-tank missiles NLAW and Javelin, as well as an anti-aircraft missile Stinger - these missiles were part of the Western military aid to Ukraine. The flight was made on August 20 and landed at Tehran airport.

Iran, for its part, supplied Russia with more than 160 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including 100 Shahed-136 drones, which had already been shot down over Ukrainian territory. In addition, according to Sky News, another deal for a new batch of drones worth 200 million euros has been agreed between Tehran and Moscow in the last few days.

The source suggested that the munitions could be transferred to the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). They will study Western technology and develop their own analogues for their potential use in armed conflicts in the future.

On November 5, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian admitted that Iran had indeed transferred a batch of drones to Russia, but had done so before the start of the special operation in Ukraine.