Iran has requested modern air defense systems from Russia, The New York Times reports.
Two Iranian officials with knowledge of the war planning, one affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards Corps, confirmed that Iran has requested and begun receiving advanced radars and air defense equipment from Russia. The officials spoke anonymously, as they were not authorized to disclose details about the aid publicly.
On August 5, Russia’s ex-Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu, who now heads Russia's Security Council, visited Tehran, where he met with Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and Brigadier General Mohammad Bagheri, the commander of the Iranian armed forces responsible for planning military strikes on Israel.
The visit comes after Hamas’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran’s capital, Tehran, on the first day of Iranian President Masaoud Pezeshkian’s term. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has ordered a direct strike on Israel following the death.
Shoigu’s visit highlights the deepening alliance between Iran and Russia, which has solidified since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Iran has supplied Russia with military drones, and the two nations recently finalized an agreement to enhance their military and intelligence collaboration.
“We are ready for full cooperation with Iran on regional issues,” Shoigu said, according to Iran’s state media.
General Bagheri stated that the relationship between Iran and Russia is "deep, long-term, and strategic," and is expected to grow further under Iran’s new government, the Iranian media reported.
