They wanted so badly to believe that Iran is Russia’s military ally and thus sending it hundreds of drones for use in that conflict that they inadvertently fell for all the infowar objectives that Sullivan was pushing with his latest fake news provocation. Had they applied President Putin’s advice against wishful thinking, none of this would have happened, but they arrogantly believe that they “know better” than he does.
Given the original story came from a liar like Sullivan should have been a huge red flag that this was nonsense from the very beginning.