Iran's statements about receiving the largest batch of weapons from Russia in the last 30 years may indicate an extremely profitable deal for both countries.
What is known about the largest arms deal between Iran and Russia
According to the newspaper's journalists, according to the agreement, Iran should receive from Russia Su-35 fighter jets, Mi-28 attack helicopters and Yak-130 training aircraft.
The authors of the material point out that the reports, as early as 2021, indicated that Iran was to receive about 20 Russian Su-35 fighter jets, which were built by Russia by Egypt’s order. Still, under pressure from the United States, Cairo refused to buy them.
After the resolution of the criminal war against Ukraine, military cooperation between Russia and Iran continued to expand.
Journalists also refer to reports of the Kremlin's transfer of tens of millions of dollars in cash to Tehran, as well as Russia's seizure of samples of Western weapons processed in Iran, in particular, FGM-148 Javelin AAWS.
At the end of last year, the United States announced the Kremlin's intention to begin supplying fighter jets to Iran within the year.
An Iranian official even told Tasnim that the first plane could arrive as early as March 2023, before the Iranian New Year holiday.
There were signs that Russia was taking small steps to fulfil its part of the deal in early September when it delivered two jets.
These were not the long-awaited Su-35s but the first Yak-130s ordered by Tehran. This delivery suggested that Su-35s might eventually follow it.
What Iran and Russia will benefit from a military agreement
Farahi's latest statement is interesting because it clarifies that Iran ultimately chose the Mi-28 helicopter, as predicted in this area back in January.
The Mi-28 is probably better than the Ka-52, which suffered significant losses in Ukraine.
In the statement of the Iranian official, there is no information about whether Iran will receive new air defense systems from Russia.
Journalists cite periodic reports suggesting that Iran already has Russian S-400 air defense systems, more advanced than the S-300PMU-2, which Moscow transferred to Tehran in 2016 as part of a delayed contract initially signed in the 2007 year
In 2015, there were widespread rumours that Iran would take advantage of the opportunity to purchase 300 T-90 main battle tanks from Russia for its regular army.
If Farahi's statement is soon confirmed, this supply could benefit the political elites in Tehran and Moscow.
The authors of the article note that the acquisition of Su-35 fighters will allow Tehran to reject claims that the Kremlin cynically uses it and gives almost nothing in return.
It will also provide its regular armed forces with much-needed modernisation of equipment.
For Moscow, the sale of these high-end weapons will prove that it can still secure new arms export contracts despite the numerous supply chain problems it has faced since the invasion of Ukraine.
On the other hand, if the contract faces another long or indefinite delay, it will again highlight the flaws of the unprecedented military-technical alliance between Russia and Iran and lead even more Iranians to conclude that it is a non-reciprocal or exploitative relationship.
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