Russian Air Force Su-30SM (Alex Beltyukov / Wikipedia)
Russia is set to supply several Sukhoi Su-30SM multi-role fighter jets to Iran as part of an arms deal between the two countries, a high-ranking official in the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said Wednesday.
The Sukhoi Su-30SM, according to Sputnik, is capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground strikes and can be equipped with a wide variety of precision munitions.
According to the Russian news site Sputnik, a source in the Iranian Defense Ministry said the country’s Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan, who arrived Monday in Moscow, had planned to discuss the deal with Russian officials during his visit.
On Tuesday, Dehghan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and other officials.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (R) and Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan (L) shake hands during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, on February 16, 2016 (AFP / POOL / VADIM SAVITSKY)
Dehghan is set to take part on Thursday in a ceremony in Astrakhan on the Caspian Sea to mark the first delivery of Russian S-300 air defense system to Iran.
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Iran and Russia have reinforced their military and nuclear cooperation since the signing in July of a landmark accord between Tehran and world powers over the Iranian nuclear program.
A Russian air defense missile system Antey 2500, or S-300 VM, is on display at the opening of the MAKS Air Show in Zhukovsky outside Moscow, August 27, 2013. (AP/Ivan Sekretarev, File)
Russia has authorized the delivery of S-300 anti-aircraft batteries to Iran, despite the strong opposition of Western powers. Some Russian sources said the system could be delivered as early as Thursday, although the accuracy of the reports was unclear.
On November 23, Moscow lifted a ban on the sale and delivery of technological materiel tied to the nuclear industry after a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran’s leader Hassan Rouhani.
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AFP contributed to this report.
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