White House: Russian doctors are being trained by Iranian personnel Russian drone operators are being trained by Iranian personnel, according to the White House

 

 The White House reported on October 20 that Iranian operatives are "directly involved on the ground" in Russian-occupied Crimea, assisting Moscow's forces in launching drone assaults against Ukraine.

According to John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, Iran dispatched a "very modest number" of Iranians to the Crimea to work as trainers and in tech support, while Russians are in charge of flying the drones.

He claimed that Tehran was now actively involved in Ukraine by supplying weapons that were having an effect on civilians and civilian infrastructure there.

The provision of these weapons by Iran against the people of Ukraine will be exposed, discouraged, and confronted by the United States using all available methods.

 Additionally, he stated, "all U.S. sanctions on both the Russian and Iranian arms trade would continue to be strictly enforced" by the United States.

Tehran, which had previously denied sending weapons to Russia, made no immediate response to the American accusations.

In July, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a visit to Tehran. At the time, the US said that Russia was looking to buy Iranian unmanned aerial drones to use in its conflict with Ukraine.

Kirby stated that the United States now does not see the need to pursue further talks to revive the nuclear agreement between Iran and six major powers.

 We simply aren't focused on it at this time, Kirby added, because we and the Iranians are "far apart" in terms of returning to the agreement.

President of the United States Joe Biden had pushed for a renewal of the agreement that called for international oversight of Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for the easing of sanctions. The contract was put on hold in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump, and discussions to revive it have been at a standstill ever since.

Iran's crackdown on rallies after the murder in September of a 22-year-old woman who was jailed for defying the country's strict dress code, which forbids women from not donning hijabs, has increased tensions between the United States and Iran. The crackdown has been denounced by Biden.