Iran struck secret shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile deal with Russia, FT reports

Iran made a secret 500 million euro ($589 million) arms deal with Russia to acquire thousands of advanced shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, the Financial Times reports.

The agreement, signed in Moscow in December, commits Russia to deliver 500 man-portable “Verba” launch units and 2,500 “9M336” missiles over three years, the FT says, citing leaked Russian documents seen by the FT and several people familiar with the deal.

Under the deal the deliveries are scheduled in three tranches, running from 2027 through 2029, the FT says.

The deal was negotiated between Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and the Moscow representative of Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), the FT says.

Tehran formally requested the systems last July, according to a contract seen by the FT. In June last year, US forces struck Iran’s three main nuclear sites as the country joined Israel’s military campaign against Iran.