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Ironically though, many rockets built by companies specializing in the US defense are dependent on Russian rocket engines to send their vehicles into space.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RD-180#Replacement_for_the_RD-...

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Yes, those engines (and ISS parts) were specifically ordered by US to keep Soviet rocket production busy and to avoid their migration to North Korea or Iran.

I've not heard this idea before. Why wouldn't US simply allow the Soviet rocket production to just die?

Please do you have a reference for it?

As I said they were afraid that North Korea or Iran will snatch their scientists.

So they paid Russians to develop an ISS module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/element...

And they paid them to develop RD-180 engine: https://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/ac201/index.html

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