A pending report by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres regarding Iran's compliance with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action deal with Western nations does not include Tehran supplying drones to Russia for its war with Ukraine, despite requests by the U.S. and its allies to do so.

Russia is pressuring Guterres and his advisers not to order a Security Council investigation, Axios reported, by threatening to withdraw cooperation on other issues relating to Ukraine.

Russia said Guterres has no authority to authorize one without a decision from the Security Council, which Russia would likely veto. Axios reported officials from Western member states of the Security Council and other U.N. officials said Guterres has a mandate for an investigation, and there are precedents from cases in the Middle East.

Russia has denied using Iranian drones, which reportedly have been deployed to attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Iran said it only supplied some drones to Russia before the war. The U.S. said it has proof of more recent transfers between the nations, Axios reported.

Iran is prohibited under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, which backed the JCPOA, from providing military aid to Russia without prior approval by the council. The resolution referenced a U.S. document that outlined the types of military weapons that nations could not obtain from Iran through October 2023. They include drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles with ranges of 300 kilometers and payloads of up to 500 kilograms.

In his report, obtained by Axios, Guterres wrote he was told by the United States, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Ukraine that Iran transferred drones to Russia "in a manner inconsistent with" Resolution 2231. But Guterres also wrote that Iranian and Russian officials rejected the allegations and that even if Iran provided drones, it would not violate the resolution.

"The Secretariat is examining the available information. Any findings will be reported to the Security Council, as appropriate, in due course," Guterres wrote in the report.

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