Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, the former head of the Iranian parliament's National Security Committee, has accused Russia of betrayal.

Speaking to Jamaran News on Thursday, Falahatpisheh said, "The Russians were looking for a partner in the crime in the Ukraine war, which is why they said they would take drones from Iran."

Iran has provided drones to Russia which have been deployed against infrastructure and civilian targets in Ukraine since October 2022, used in conjunction with missile attacks to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. Western nations have sanctioned both individuals and entities implicated in the supply of the kamikaze drones.

Russia has deepened its military collaboration with Iran since launching its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. While Iran initially denied supplying Shahed drones to Russia, it later admitted to providing a limited number before the conflict erupted.

Falahatpisheh, one of the few domestic critics permitted to speak to the press, earlier also expressed concerns that Iran could become a secondary front in Russia's war against Ukraine. Critics have increasingly questioned Russia's reliability as a partner for Iran, particularly regarding nuclear issues and other foreign policy matters.

The Kremlin in November said Russia and Iran were developing their relations, "including in the field of military-technical cooperation.”