Iran has announced that it has entered into a contract with Russia to purchase Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, according to local media, despite the United States’ warning against military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow.
The official IRNA news agency in Iran said, quoting Tehran’s representative to the United Nations, that “after the ban (imposed by the United Nations) on the purchase of conventional weapons was lifted in October 2020, Iran concluded a contract for the purchase of (SU-35) combat aircraft.”
The agency did not provide further details about the contract, but Iran and Russia have been in talks for years for this purpose.
“The Sukhoi (SU-35) aircraft were technically acceptable to Iran, and Russia announced that it was ready to sell them to us,” IRNA indicated.
Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtani said, on Monday, that Tehran “is still pursuing the purchase of the Sukhoi (SU-35)”, but “has not yet received the equipment.”
Threats and warnings
• The United States threatens to impose harsh sanctions on any country that deals with Iranian forces, especially the Revolutionary Guards, which is included in Washington’s list of “terrorist organizations”.
• In parallel, Washington warns of a “dangerous” escalation in military cooperation between Iran and Russia.
• Iran is accused of providing Moscow with drones to be used in Ukraine, which Tehran denies.
• The Iranian Air Force owns about 300 Russian combat aircraft of the “MiG-29” and “Su-25”, Chinese “F7”, American “F4”, “F5” and “F14”, and French “Mirage F1”. In addition to the “Saegheh” aircraft, which is an Iranian copy of the American “F-5” aircraft, according to experts.
• Tehran and Moscow concluded a contract in 2007 to supply Iran with the Russian “S-300” anti-air missile systems, but in 2010 Moscow suspended the sale in implementation of the UN Security Council resolution targeting Iran’s nuclear program.
• In 2015, shortly after reaching an international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, Russia again allowed the delivery of S-300 missiles to Iran.
• The Iranian Ministry of Defense announced in May 2016 that Tehran “now possesses the strategic (S-300) system.”