In part, Senator Cotton wrote:
“The growing Russia-Iran axis poses a major threat to the United States and its partners. Your administration must immediately bolster sanctions against both Russia and Iran and impose a severe cost on this anti-American alliance. Sanctioning the company building Iranian drones on Russian soil is the obvious first step.”
Full text of the letter may be found here and below.
December 1, 2023
President Joseph R. Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Biden,
I write to you regarding the growing defense partnership between Russia and Iran and the need to apply sanctions against the Russian weapons manufacturer JSC Alabuga.
As you are aware, Tehran has deepened its relationship with Moscow since February 2022, providing Russia with hundreds of drones for use in its war against Ukraine. Recently, we learned that Iran is assisting the Russian company JSC Alabuga to produce its own version of Iran’s Shahed-136 kamikaze drone, known as the Geran-2, on Russian soil.
If not sanctioned soon, Alabuga will reportedly be able to produce 6,000 Geran-2 drones by September 2025. Russian production of combat drones will not only augment Moscow’s lethality, it could also augment Tehran’s as Russian demand slackens and the ayatollahs can increasingly use its Shahed-136 drones for its own malign purposes. Moscow could also share the Geran-2 or its technology with other adversarial parties that threaten our allies to pressure and test American resolve.
Iran did not share its drone technology for free. In exchange for its assistance, Iran is set to receive Russian military equipment including fighter jets and attack helicopters. Such equipment will doubtlessly be used to defend Iran’s nuclear program as it continues its pursuit of the nuclear bomb.
The growing Russia-Iran axis poses a major threat to the United States and its partners. Your administration must immediately bolster sanctions against both Russia and Iran and impose a severe cost on this anti-American alliance. Sanctioning the company building Iranian drones on Russian soil is the obvious first step.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
______________________
Tom Cotton
United States Senator