Russia Will Provide Iran 24 Fighter Jets
Jose Nino
|
According to Western intelligence sources who have kept tabs on defense deals between Iran and Russia, the Russian Federation is expected to provide the Islamic Republic with a squadron of fighter jets.
i24 News reported that 24 Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, which were originally produced for Egypt in a deal that the United States canceled. The Russians were looking for buyers for the extra aircraft, and from the looks of it, Iran will be receiving those aircraft very soon. Per an intelligence report, Iranian pilots are already training on these Russian aircraft.
Due to how Iran has been largely isolated from the West since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the Islamic Republic has largely struggled to build a quality aircraft fleet.
As a result, the Iranian Air Force has had to rely on American-made jets from the 1970s right before the 1979 revolution kicked off.
i24 News alleged that Iran had supplied Russia with 1,700 suicide drones to Russia to help it in its war in Ukraine. Iran is also expected to supply 300 additional drones in the near future. In return, Tehran is expected to receive air defense systems from Russia which will likely be employed against a potential Israeli attack against Iranian nuclear sites.
Due to Russia and Iran’s heightened defense cooperation, Israel is now concerned with the effectiveness of its airstrikes launched against Syria — largely directed towards Iranian proxies — due to the two Eurasian players being strong allies of the Assad regime. Russia controls Syria’s airspace and has allowed Israeli airstrikes thus far. But that could change if Iran and Russia’s relationship grows stronger.
Some anti-Iran hawks believe that United States strikes against Iranian drone factories are justified given the country’s alleged role in helping Russia fight Ukraine.
One thing is clear: The US’s increasingly hawkish stances towards Russia and Iran have pushed the two countries together. Funny enough, Iran and Russia have had fraught relations, from a historical perspective, that dates back to Imperial Russia all the way to the Soviet Union. However, fanatic neoliberal and neoconservative interventionism has drawn both of these countries togethers due to the DC Blob’s antipathy to Iran and Russia.
A similar dynamic is at play with China, which is increasingly gravitating towards the Russia-Iran axis. The unipolar moment is over and the US is now beginning to realize that the more hostile actions it pursues abroad will be gradually met with a new balancing coalition — the Eurasian axis in this case — that will offer genuine resistance to DC’s universalist project.
Share: