Editor’s note: The air defense systems in question are likely S-400. The question is who will crew them. Are Russian crews coming along with them? Do there exist Iranian crews already trained of them? At least one has to be true for the systems to play a role in the ongoing crisis.
Source: The New York Times
A top Russian security official arrived in Tehran on Monday to meet with senior officials as Iran prepared to retaliate against Israel for the killing of Hamas’s political leader on Iranian soil last week, a provocation that has threatened to touch off a regional war.
The Russian official, Sergei K. Shoigu, met with Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and with the commander of the Iranian armed forces, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, who is leading the planning for military strikes on Israel.
Mr. Shoigu, a former defense minister who is closely allied with President Vladimir V. Putin, also met with the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Mr. Shoigu’s visit underscores the close alliance between Iran and Russia, which has strengthened since the war in Ukraine started in 2022. Iran has provided Russia with military drones, and the two countries recently finalized an agreement to expand their military and intelligence cooperation.
Iranian media reported that Iran has requested advanced air-defense systems from Russia as it prepares for a possible war with Israel.
Two Iranian officials familiar with the war planning, one a member of the Revolutionary Guards Corps, confirmed that Iran has made the request and said Russia has started delivering advanced radars and air-defense equipment. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the aid publicly.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ordered a direct strike from Iran on Israel after the Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in an explosion at his guesthouse while he was visiting Iran for the new president’s inauguration.
American and Israeli officials have said that they expect Iran and its allied militant groups in the region to launch a large and coordinated attack on Israel. The groups, known as the “axis of resistance,” include Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
Iranian state television showed Mr. Shoigu and General Bagheri greeting each other, meeting one-on-one, then attending a larger meeting at a conference table with members of the Russian delegation and Iranian military officials.
“We are ready for full cooperation with Iran on regional issues,” Mr. Shoigu said, according to Iran’s state media.
General Bagheri told Mr. Shoigu that the relationship between their nations was “deep, long term and strategic,” and would only expand under Iran’s new government, according to Iranian media reports.
Even though Russia also has economic and cultural ties to Israel — a large number of Russian Jews live in Israel — analysts say that Russia can’t afford to turn down Iran’s requests for help, because it relies heavily on Iranian drones in Ukraine.
“If Iranians are asking Russians for air defense, they are cashing in their chips,” said Colin P. Clarke, director of policy and research at the Soufan Group, an intelligence and security consultancy. “The question is how do Russians assuage Tehran without ruining their relationship with Israel.”
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