Iran’s supply of drones to Russia is a major public relations victory, as seen from Iran’s own past reports and how the regime now appears to be pleased by the fear it has struck into countries in the region.
Although Iran does not openly brag about the drones it has sent to Russia, because the regime has been careful not to take too much credit for supplying them, they do believe that the performance of drones in Ukraine can influence Iran's position in the Middle East.
In the past, Iran supplied drones to Hezbollah, the Houthis and other proxy and terrorist groups in the region, but that often didn’t get them the propaganda value they wanted.
When the Houthis targeted Saudi Arabia, or when Iran itself targeted Saudi Arabia in September 2019, the use of drones and cruise missiles was not given enough press attention to satisfy Iran. This now appears to have changed, while Iran reported about their military capabilities themselves in the past, it is now keenly interested in how Israel reacts to the new threat.
A report over the weekend in Iran’s Fars News looked at Israel’s concerns about drones and quotes heavily from Israeli media. Clearly, the intention here is for Iran to launder its success in drone warfare by quoting others, this way it can legitimize its abilities by pointing to foreign reports.
Having a foreign report express fear of Iran's drone abilities is more important for them than if their own media simply reported that regional countries are afraid of them.
Therefore the decision by Iran’s pro-regime media, which is close to the IRGC, to highlight the drone threat by quoting Israeli sources shows that Iran is paying close attention to how countries see Iran’s threats.
It’s not clear if Iran’s drone export to Russia is related to wanting payment for the drones, payment in kind via other products from Russia, or support from Russia for programs such as Iran’s nuclear program. While Iran is currently exporting drones to Russia for unclear reasons, one explanation may be the propaganda value.
Iran denies reports of supplying drones to Russia
Iran continues to deny most western reports about the drones it sent to Russia during the Ukraine war, although it did admit that it sent drones that were shipped “months before the war,” claiming that it didn’t send them to help Russia in its war in Ukraine.
Iran also denies that it is sending parts for ballistic missiles. “We provided Russia with a small number of drones months before the war in Ukraine,” Iran’s foreign ministry said.
Despite the Iranian attempt to pretend it sent only a few drones, and not thousands, Tehran is clearly pleased with foreign reports about their abilities. It now sees the international coverage as a way to make Israel concerned while also sending a message to the Gulf states and US forces in the region.
Iran has also targeted Kurdish dissidents in Iraq using drones and missiles. Iran is clearly using drones to show off its capabilities, with its reasoning relying not only on tactics or strategy, but also on public relations and propaganda value.
Turkey frequently publishes videos of its drones, bragging about their abilities, including attacks on Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria, claiming it is targeting “terrorists.” Turkey wants increased drone sales and it uses videos to showcase the their abilities, Iran is now doing the same thing.