The Biden administration has arrange a task force as a part of an “all aboard” investigation into how U.S.-made technology results in Iranian-made drones that Russia uses to strike targets in Ukraine, in accordance with a report on Wednesday.
Despite strict export restrictions and UN sanctions, Tehran has been capable of acquire commercially available high-quality materials that enhance the aiming and navigation capabilities of drones, CNN reported.
The report comes ahead of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Wednesday meeting with President Biden and addressing Congress, as US lawmakers debate increased security and military aid for the country.
Conflict Armaments Research, A UK-based investigative organization said an examination of the drones shot down in Ukraine last month found that 82% of their components were made by US tech corporations.
![A police officer examines parts of the drone used in the attack on a gas station in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 6.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/biden-administration-us-technology-iran-drones-investigation-feat-image.jpg?w=1024)
![The drone is being used in a military exercise at an undisclosed location in Iran.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/biden-administration-us-technology-iran-drones-investigation-04.jpg?w=1024)
A CAR study found that the lots of of components present in the drones were produced by 70 corporations in 17 different countries, however the overwhelming majority got here from America.
Amongst those corporations are Dallas-based Texas Instruments and an Austrian company owned by Canada’s Bombardier Recreational Products, CNN reported, citing an investigation by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a source.
The report noted that each corporations denounced the illegal use of their products, and officials told CNN there was no evidence of any Western corporations exporting their technology to Iran to be used in drones.
![Firefighters at an apartment building in Kiev, Ukraine, hit by a drone, Oct. 17.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/biden-administration-us-technology-iran-drones-investigation-09.jpg?w=1024)
The White House National Security Council is overseeing a task force that features the Departments of Defense, State, Justice, Commerce and Treasury as a part of an “all hands on deck” initiative, the report said.
The probe is an element of a broad “holistic approach” to coping with Iran, which also includes Tehran’s crackdown on protesters and its nuclear program.
The report shows how products intended for civilian use could be retrofitted for military use.
![A drone flies over Kiev, Ukraine, October 17.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/biden-administration-us-technology-iran-drones-investigation-13.jpg?w=1024)
Texas Instruments, in a press release to CNN, said it “doesn’t sell any products to Russia, Belarus or Iran.”
“TI complies with applicable laws and regulations within the countries where we do business and cooperates with law enforcement as vital and appropriate. As well as, we don’t support or condone using our products in applications for which they weren’t designed.
Bombardier said it could launch an internal investigation into how parts of its engine ended up within the drones.
![Part of what Ukrainian officials believe is an Iranian drone after the October 6 attack on a Kharkiv fuel dump.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/biden-administration-us-technology-iran-drones-investigation-02.jpg?w=1024)
The duty force’s investigation has gained momentum in recent weeks after U.S. intelligence learned that Moscow plans to open a drone production plant in Russia, and Iran has already begun handing over blueprints and weapons components as a part of an expanding military alliance.
The CAR report said the Iranian drones present in Russia represent a “significant leap in hardware in comparison with other systems previously seen within the Middle East.”
Components present in drones “significantly advance” features that improve aiming accuracy and satellite navigation.
![Part of a drone shot down by Ukrainian forces near Odessa on September 25.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/biden-administration-us-technology-iran-drones-investigation-01.jpg?w=1024)
The high-end footage, the organization said, “shows that Iran has been capable of circumvent current sanctions regimes and added more capability and resilience to its weapons.”
The Iranian-made drones in Russia “contain high-end components resembling semiconductors and tactical inertia measurement units that were sourced from outside Iran. A few of these components are on the U.S. checklist of prohibited equipment for export to Iran.”
The White House task force also works with foreign allies as some drone components come from manufacturers in Asia and Europe.
The Biden administration believes it has succeeded in convincing allies abroad of the seriousness of the threat.
There may be “a growing broad and deep international consensus on Iran, from the EU to Canada, Australia and Latest Zealand, led by US diplomacy,” one official told CNN.