Russia supplies Iran with valuable S‑400 air defence systems

The Ukrainian portal Defence Express reminds us that Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu visited Iran on Monday, 5 August. He met with President Masud Pezeszkian, among others. During the meeting, the main topic of discussion was the "expansion of bilateral partnership for global security and peace." The Russians also called Iran "one of the key and strategic allies in the region."

The alliance between Tehran and Moscow has strengthened since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, evidenced by, among other things, deliveries of Iranian drones to Russia, as well as the "recently finalised agreement on expanding military and intelligence cooperation." The cooperation continues, and Iran has turned to the Russian Federation with a request for modern air defence systems to prepare for war with Israel. As reported by Defence Express, sources among Iranian authorities believe that the Russians positively responded to this request, so weapon deliveries have started.

According to analysts, Tehran might need the equipment primarily to defend against Israel's announced attacks on nuclear facilities. However, Defence Express highlights that Iran already has a substantial air defence arsenal, including four divisions of S-300PMU2 systems, three divisions of S-200 systems, and an unknown number of Iranian Bavar-373 systems, which are said to be similar to the S-300.

As we read, Iran has asked the Russian Federation for S-400 systems capable of shooting down ballistic missiles. Analysts at Defence Express seek confirmation of this in events from March 2023, when media reported on Tehran's active search for S-400 systems in the Russian Federation. However, no official statements emerged indicating the two countries had signed an agreement on transferring the mentioned weapons, possibly because, as early as last year, Russians were already facing a shortage of S-400 systems.

Defence Express points out that in addition to the potential transfer of S-400 air defence systems from the Russian Federation to Iran, Russian soldiers must also be sent to Tehran to operate the weapons. This would not be surprising, as Israeli media suggest that the Russian Federation might have already provided Iran with Iskander and Murmansk-BN air defence systems and the necessary personnel.

Defence Express discusses the potential transfer from Russia to Iran of the S-400 system. This valuable piece of equipment can intercept any air threat: aircraft, helicopters, drones, and ballistic missiles. This weapon's range can be 40km when using 350kg 9M96 missiles or even 400km when equipped with 1,800kg 40N6E missiles. An intermediate solution used for firing in the case of the S-400 is 48N6DM/486E3 ammunition, which reaches a distance of roughly 250km.