Russian Missile Experts Visit Iran for Military Cooperation – Discuss Air Defense in Two Separate Visits
In 2024, Russian missile experts visited Iran on two separate occasions as Tehran sought to strengthen its cooperation with Moscow, amid devastating blows to its resistance network during the ongoing war with Israel.
"Russian missile experts don’t just appear out of the blue," said Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, in an interview with Fox News Digital. "Alarm bells should be going off in Washington and Jerusalem."
Senior Russian missile and air defense experts visited Tehran in April and September 2024, as Iran became embroiled in regional conflict with Israel, particularly following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack.
Taleblu of FDD stated that this visit proves that any attempt to isolate Russia from Iran will be self-defeating for the United States. While the exact nature of the cooperation discussed during these visits remains unclear, Nicholas Carl from the American Enterprise Institute noted that it coincided with Iran seeking more air defense assistance from Russia, while Russia was purchasing Iranian drones and missiles to use in the war against Ukraine.
Experts agree that Russia and Iran are increasingly collaborating to bolster each other's strength, in pursuit of their mutual objective: reducing U.S. global influence.
The cooperation between Russia and Iran has deepened since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Iran came to Russia’s aid, supplying drones and ammunition when Russian forces faced strong resistance from Ukraine. In 2023, Iran also purchased Russian fighter jets and helicopters for the war effort.
In January, Russia and Iran signed a 20-year "comprehensive strategic partnership treaty," although the pact does not include a collective security agreement.
Now, the Kremlin has announced that future Russia-U.S. talks will involve discussions about Iran's nuclear program. Bloomberg reported that Russia has agreed to assist the U.S. in talks regarding Iran’s nuclear program, though Kremlin officials have refused to confirm, only stating that it would be a topic of discussion.
Andrea Stricker, a nonproliferation expert at FDD, stated that outsourcing Iran nuclear talks to Russia would be a mistake. She added, "As a key ally, Moscow has a vested interest in keeping Iran close to the nuclear threshold. If Trump pursues diplomacy, he should accept no less than the full, permanent, and verified nuclear disarmament of Iran."
Meanwhile, it is believed that Russia and the United States could find common ground in halting Iran’s nuclear program.
