Russia’s GRU Planned Iran Drone Supply, Training for Attacks on U.S. Forces in the Gulf

A confidential ten-page proposal attributed to Russia’s GRU reportedly outlines a plan to supply Iran with 5,000 short-range fibre-optic drones and training for possible attacks on American forces in the Gulf.

“The United States warned Iran about delivering drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine”

BBC

The reported document also describes operational diagrams for launching small swarms of five or six fibre-optic drones from concealed positions against American amphibious landing ships, and it focuses in part on islands off Iran’s coast including Kharg Island.

BBC

The plan is described as likely prepared in March or April 2026, during the early phase of the US-Israeli war with Iran, and it is presented as evidence of Russian planning rather than confirmation that the full transfer took place.

The same reporting says fibre-optic drones are controlled through a physical cable rather than a radio signal, making them harder to jam with conventional electronic warfare systems.

In the background of the proposal, the document says Russia has relied extensively on Iranian-designed Shahed drones since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, later producing modified versions domestically.

The United States warned Iran not to hand over its unmanned combat aircraft to Russia for use in attacking Ukraine, with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin telling reporters, "We advise Iran not to do this."

CNN, cited by DW, reported that Russian forces have been trained in Iran in recent weeks as part of an agreement to transfer Iranian drones to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine.

BFMTV

DW says White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that Iran intends to supply its drones for use in the war in Ukraine to Russia and that Russia plans to purchase hundreds of drones from Iran.

DW also reports that a CNN report dated July 16, based on satellite imagery provided to the network, showed a Russian delegation visited at least twice in June at a base in Kashan to inspect drones capable of carrying guided missiles named Shahed-191 and Shahed-129.

In the same thread of denials, DW says Hossein Amir-Abdollahian rejected the news of sending drones to the Russians by stating that the Islamic Republic does not aid any of the warring parties, while a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry asserted there had been no major developments recently.

While the GRU proposal is framed around possible attacks on American forces in the Gulf, other reporting describes the U.S. seeking Shahed-136-like capability for testing and training, with Stars and Stripes saying the Air Force asked defense industries to produce at least 16 samples.

یورونیوز reports that the Air Force intends to purchase 16 drones essentially identical to the Shahed-136, with a further 20 samples on the agenda for future purchases, and it says the estimated price of Shahed-136 drones is between $20,000 and $50,000.

The same report says the Air Force request would send replicated Shahed versions to the Eglin Air Force Base Weapons Center in Florida, and it quotes Wolf-Christian Pace saying the focus indicates "more on physical deterrence than on electronic warfare."

Pace is also quoted saying the U.S. military is likely preparing for a mass-drone-attack scenario, and he notes that American forces are trained to track aircraft and bombers rather than Shahed-like drones that fly slowly at low altitude.

Against that backdrop, the sources also describe a broader contest over drones and air defenses, including the U.S. opposition to military aid to Russia and the claim that Iranian drones could help offset part of Russia’s arms shortage.