BEIRUT — In what appears to be another sign of the tightening of relations between Iran and Russia, a senior Iranian military official reportedly confirmed that Tehran has completed the purchase of Russian Sukhoi SU-35 fighter jets.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Ali Shadmani was quoted by an Iranian news outlet as highlighting the deal, according to Reuters and Russia’s TASS news agency.
“Whenever necessary, we make military purchases to strengthen our air, land, and naval forces. … The production of military equipment has also accelerated,” Shahdamani said, according to Reuters, though he did not say how many jets had been purchased or for how much.
He warned that “if the enemy acts foolishly, it will taste the bitter taste of being hit by our missiles, and none of its interests in the occupied territories will remain safe,” pointing at Tehran’s regional enemy, Israel.
In November 2023 Iranian officials reportedly finalized the deal with Russia. Shadmani’s comments came just days after Tehran and Moscow inked a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, to boost cooperation in many domains, including defense.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, was circumspect about Shadmani’s reported comments.
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“Seeing will be believing in the case of the Su-35 and Iran. Given the number of false starts, early reports, rumors, and even misinformation about the matter, seeing the plane in Iran will be the truest indication that the deal has gone through,” Ben Taleblu told Breaking Defense.
He said that such reports regarding training, payment or notes of a finalized deal “are designed to manage expectations about the Russia-Iran relationship while politically helping Tehran bolster its battered deterrence.”
But should the planes enter Iran’s service, Ben Taleblu said they would significantly enhance Iranian territorial defense, particularly after the regime’s long-range air defenses, “which were also Russian provided, were damaged or destroyed by Israeli airstrikes last year.”
Iran currently operates a number of Russian warplanes including Su-24 MK and Mig-29 A and outdated US-built fighter jets including the F-4 and F-5E. The SU-35, introduced in 2014, is a singleseat “primarily air superiority fighter, but with [a] secondary air-to-ground capability,” according to a US Army database.
The purchase will make the Islamic Republic more of a hybrid warfighter in the Middle East, posing “an additional layer of challenges for those seeking to land an uncontested blow against the regime’s nuclear or military infrastructure.”
Still, he said, the planes “will not revolutionize Iran’s long-range strike capabilities overnight given the regime’s emphasis on unmanned systems and the time needed to train Air Force personnel.”