Moscow: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday that he does not believe that Russia allegedly receives combat drones from Iran in exchange for nuclear technologies as Moscow is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and would not violate it “so blatantly.”
“It’s a bit of speculation… Russia is within the NPT, and I cannot imagine that they would violate the NPT in such a blatant way,” Grossi told a Chatham House meeting when asked whether Iran could allegedly supply Russia with drones in exchange for nuclear technologies.
Grossi believes this cannot and would not happen as the IAEA would be able to see everything that is happening in terms of technologies and developments in Iran, given that the agency carries out a large number of inspections, with the secretary general’s participation in particular.
The interview with Gross was aired on Chatham House’s YouTube channel.
Western countries have repeatedly accused Iran of supplying combat drones to Russia for use in Ukraine. Moscow and Tehran reject the allegations.