Russia seizes weapons and equipment they sent the US and NATO in Ukraine, that were left on the battlefield in Ukraine and is sending them to Iran, with Washington estimating that Tehran will try to “reverse engineer” those weapons systems to build replicas, four sources with knowledge of the matter told CNN.

Over the past year, U.S., NATO and other Western officials have seen numerous instances of Russian forces getting their hands on smaller, shoulder-mounted weapons, including Javelin anti-tank and Stinger anti-aircraft systems, which Ukrainian forces have in some cases were forced to abandon them on the battlefield, the sources told CNN.

Russia believes continued supply of Western arms to Iran will incentivize Tehran to maintain its support in Russia’s war in Ukraine, the sources added.

U.S. officials do not believe this supply of arms is widespread or systematic, and the Ukrainian military has since the beginning of the Russian invasion regularly reported to the Pentagon any losses of U.S. equipment that fell into the hands of Russian forces, officials said. However, US officials acknowledge that the issue is difficult to track.

It is unclear whether Iran has successfully reverse-engineered weapons seized by the Russian military in Ukraine, but Tehran has proven to be very adept at developing weapons systems based on US equipment found in its possession in the past.

A key weapon in Iran’s stockpiles, the Toophan anti-tank guided missile, was reverse-engineered from the US BGM-71 TOW missile in the 1970s. The Iranians intercepted a US-made drone in 2011, a Lockheed Martin RQ-170 “ Sentinel” and reverse-engineered it to create a new drone that flew through Israeli airspace in 2018 before being shot down.

Senior US military officials, including US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, have both been in the Middle East in recent days for talks with their counterparts on one of the main topics of discussion to be threats posed by Iran, the Pentagon said.

“Over the past year, Russia’s military cooperation with Iran has deepened, and this poses serious challenges for this region and for the security of your citizens,” Austin told a news conference alongside Israel’s defense minister. , Yoav Galand yesterday Thursday in Tel Aviv.

“Iran is gaining significant know-how and battlefield experience in Ukraine, which will ultimately be transferred to his dangerous proxies in the Middle East,” Austin stressed. “In return for Iranian support in Ukraine, Russia is offering Iran unprecedented defense cooperation, including missiles and air defense systems,” he added.

Massive, unexpected losses of equipment and harsh Western sanctions have made it difficult for Russia to continue building the weapons and ammunition it needs to continue its invasion of Ukraine. As a result, Russia has requested and received hundreds of drones from Iran, as well as heavy weapons and tanks, which Russian forces have used with devastating effect against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.

In return, Iran has sought to receive billions of dollars worth of military equipment from Russia, according to the White House, including fighter jets, radar systems and helicopters.

The Pentagon late last year expanded its efforts to monitor U.S. weapons supplied to Ukraine, including through on-site inspections conducted by U.S. military personnel based at the U.S. embassy in Kiev.

US Deputy Defense Secretary Colin Kall told lawmakers earlier this year that the US has seen instances of Russians taking some US weapons systems into the battlefield, but not in large numbers.

The State Department also said in a statement in October that “the seizure of Ukrainian weapons by pro-Russian forces, including donated material, has been the main diversion agent so far and could lead to further transfers.”