Iran, Russia Expand ‘Unprecedented Military Partnership’ with Fighter Jet Deal: Kirby

A view of drones during a military exercise in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Aug. 24, 2022. (Iranian Army/WANA/Handout via Reuters)

Iran and Russia are growing their military cooperation with increased arms sales that the White House says are directly resulting in the killing of Ukrainians.

Tehran’s continued sale of suicide drones and other munitions to Moscow is meaningfully augmenting Russia’s ability to continue its attempted conquest of Ukraine, said National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby.

Moreover, Kirby said, Iran is now seeking to capitalize on its improved relations with the Kremlin by seeking advanced military systems from Russia, including fighter jets and combat helicopters.

“That support is going both ways,” Kirby said during a May 15 press call, “from Iran to Russia but also from Russia to Iran.”

“Russia has been offering Iran unprecedented defense cooperation including on missiles, electronics, [and] air defense.”

Destabilizing Fears

Kirby added that Iran and Russia were “expanding their unprecedented military partnership” beyond artillery and drones.

The effect of such arms deals, he said, would not only result in more attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, but could also destabilize the Middle East as Iran seeks to project power against Western forces in Syria and, possibly, against Israel.

Perhaps the biggest ticket item among these new arms deals, Kirby said, was a package that would see Russia deliver numerous Su-35 fighter aircraft to Iran. That deal, Kirby said, was finalized last month.

“In total, Iran is seeking billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment from Russia,” Kirby said.

“Iran is seeking to purchase additional military equipment from Russia including attack helicopters, radars, and Yak-130 combat trainer aircraft.”

Boosting Iranian Air Power

The introduction of the Yak-130 and Su-35 into the Iranian military will help the Islamist regime to both better train its pilots and to substantially increase its airborne firepower.

This at a time when the regime is expanding its efforts to attack American troops in Syria through regional proxies.

To that end, Kirby noted that neither system was integrated with Iran’s indigenous military capabilities, and Russia would likely have to send teams to Iran to train pilots on the use of the aircraft.

“We would have to assume that there would be some measure of training by Russia,” Kirby said.

Kirby underscored that the G7 remains in “unity” on the need to maintain the defense of Ukraine against Russian aggression, and said that point would be front and center during President Joe Biden’s trip to Hiroshima, Japan, later in the week for a G7 summit.

The core issue, Kirby said, is that Iran’s actions are directly resulting in the killing of Ukrainians, and Iran will need to be held to account for that fact.

“It’s important not to lose the big picture here,” Kirby said.

“This is about a burgeoning defense relationship that is inherently making it easier for Mr. Putin to kill Ukrainians, and Iran is directly involved in that killing.”