Iran has concluded a secret agreement with Russia for the supply of “Verba” MANPADS: what volumes are we talking about?
Фото: росЗМІ
Iran signed a €500 million deal with Russia in Moscow in December to purchase Verba portable anti-aircraft missile systems. The contract provides for the supply of 500 launchers and 2,500 missiles over 3 years.
This is reported by the Financial Times.
According to journalists, the agreement was signed by Rosoboronexport and the Ministry of Defense and Logistics of the Armed Forces of Iran. Russia is to supply 500 Verba portable launchers and 2,500 9M336 missiles to them.
The 9M336 missiles are sold at a price of 170 thousand euros per unit, launchers – 40 thousand euros each. The contract also includes 500 Mowgli-2 night vision devices.
The material notes that “Verba” is a portable infrared-guided missile system capable of hitting cruise missiles, low-flying aircraft, and drones.
The negotiations involved Ruhollah Katebi, an official at the Iranian Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Support. He was previously involved in a deal to sell Iran the short-range Fateh-360 ballistic missiles that Russia uses in Ukraine.
The delivery is to take place in 3 stages from 2027 to 2029. A source familiar with the terms of the agreement said that a certain number of systems could be delivered earlier than the specified deadline.
Journalists also report that over the past 8 days, a Russian Il-76TD aircraft has made at least 3 flights from Mineralnye Vody to the Iranian city of Karaj, and another Il-76 flew to Iran in late December.
According to the contract, Tehran officially requested these systems last July, a few days after the end of the 12-day conflict, during which strikes were carried out on 3 key Iranian nuclear facilities.
The Iranian Embassy in London and Rosoboronexport did not respond to journalists’ requests. The Kremlin declined to comment.
Recall that Russia, despite official statements about an alliance with Tehran, actually used Iran in the war with Israel, passing on intelligence about Iranian air defense . The scandal showed that economic rapprochement between the two countries does not guarantee political loyalty, and the strategic alliance turned out to be more of an illusion than a reality.
It was previously reported that Iran plans to restore its air defense system through cooperation with Belarus .
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