Tehran has requested advanced air defense systems from Russia as it prepares for a possible war with Israel, according to The New York Times.
Since 2022, Iran has provided Russia with thousands of drones for its war against Ukraine. Both countries have also agreed to expand their military and intelligence cooperation, which was confirmed in a bilateral pact.
Analysts say Russia can’t afford to turn down Iran’s requests for help because it relies heavily on drones despite its ties with Israel.
Sources familiar with the matter say Iran asked for advanced radars and air-defense equipment from Moscow. The request was made at a meeting between Russian official Sergei Shoigu and the commander of the Iranian armed forces, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri.
At the same time, Russia is experiencing a significant deficit in air and missile defense systems. Recently, it transferred the systems to Ukraine, specifically the S-300V4 complexes from the Kuril Islands, reported Militarnyi.
Russian military forces continue to suffer significant losses in air defense systems in Ukrainian ATACMS ballistic missile attacks.
Reportedly, Iran is looking for ways to protect its military facilities from Israeli strikes with Pantsir-S1, Tor-M2, Buk-M2, and Buk-M3, as well as the latest S-400 systems.
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