 Belarus wants to make an agreement with Iran on Shahad drone production. The Institute for the Study of War ISW has said that Iran and Belarus are deepening bilateral cooperation as they both support Russia's war in Ukraine, with Belarus seeking to secure an agreement on Iranian-made Shahad-drones production on its territory. The ISW noted that Belarusian Defence Minister Lieutenant-General Viktor Krenin arrived in Iran on 31 July and met with his counterpart Iranian Defence Minister Brigadier-General Mohamed Reza Ashdiani to sign a memorandum of understanding and a bilateral military cooperation plan for 2023. The ISW noted that Ashdiani as Iran's Defence Minister is responsible for negotiating the purchase and sale of military equipment. Krenin and Ashdiani likely discussed arms deals during their meeting. Belarus may have also been seeking to secure an agreement on Iranian production of Shahad drones on the territory of Belarus. Earlier, Ukraine's National Resistance Centre has said Russia is considering manufacturing Shahad drones in Belarus. A working group of Iranian engineers, convened by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation and the State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus has visited the Gommel radio plant. The possibility of setting up production of kamikaze drones was discussed during the group's visit. National Resistance Centre said. Belarusian Resistance earlier reported that the Gommel plant was being used to retrofit drones. Ukraine's National Resistance Centre stressed that this development indicates Russia's growing control over the Belarusian defence industry. Organising full-scale production of Iranian-designed UAVs in Belarus will help Russia address the logistical challenges it faces when transporting drones from Iran.