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On October 19-20, a Telegram channel affiliated with Iran-backed militias in Iraq lauded the reputation of Iranian-made military drones which are being used by Russia in its war in Ukraine.[1]
The channel "Putin's friends in Iraq," which supports Russian military activities in Ukraine, published a poster highlighting remarks by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei praising the reputation of Iranian military drones and acknowledging concerns about their export.
The poster featured Russian-language text, translated into Arabic in the body of the post:
"Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei: When images of Iranian drones were published a few years ago, they said they were photoshopped. Now they say Iranian drones are dangerous," read the Arabic translation.
Tajikistan Also Interested In Iranian Drones
A second post by the channel showed a photo of an Iranian drone along with text in Russian and Arabic claiming that "Tajikistan submitted a request to purchase Iranian drones from the Islamic Republic."[2]
Cartoon Shows Nations Bowing Before Iranian Drone
In a third post, the channel posted a cartoon mocking countries that oppose Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The cartoon depicted figures representing Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United States, Ukraine, the European Union, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates, all bowing before a Russian-operated Iranian-made Shahed 136 drone.[3]
The channel added in English: "You should respect me, I'm Shahed 136."
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