The United Kingdom's Defense Secretary John Healey has confirmed that Russia has been training the Iranian military on types of drones and electronic warfare, BBC News reported on Thursday.
"Putin wants us to be distracted from what he is doing elsewhere. We won't let him," he said.
Healey added that the UK has been working to ensure protection for British people currently based in the Middle East, the report said.
The Secretary noted that the protective actions include military bases and coverage of allies.
According to BBC News, Healey said British pilots have already spent over 1,000 hours protecting UK allies and British interests in the Middle East.
Regarding Russia's involvement with Tehran, the confirmation of Moscow's training program for the Islamic Republic was the last update on a story that started even before the current war.
Russia provides Iran with locations of US military assets
At the beginning of March, The Washington Post reported that Moscow has been providing Iran with information to target US forces in the Middle East, demonstrating the state's involvement in the Iranian war.
According to the report, Russia has been giving Iran the locations of US military assets since the outbreak of the war, including warships and aircraft.
This signals that the expanding conflict now includes one of the US's biggest nuclear competitors with "exquisite intelligence capabilities," the Post noted, adding that it also marks a shift from what experts previously thought, namely that Russia would stay away from the conflict and limit its response to diplomatic condemnations.
Ariella Roitman contributed to this report.