Russia: No Plans to Sell Fighter Jets and Tanks to Iran

A senior Russian official stated that the country has no plans to sell fighter jets and tanks to Iran, as these items fall under UN sanctions. According to Interfax news agency, Alexander Fomin, head of the Military Technical Cooperation Service of the Russian Federation, announced on Wednesday, May 18, that offensive military items are included in the UN sanctions list against Iran. Mr. Fomin had previously stated about three weeks ago that Russia, apart from the S-300 defense system, is willing to sell small arms, air defense systems, radar, electronic weapons, and other military systems to Iran, but he did not mention the sale of military aircraft or tanks to Iran at that time. According to Sputnik news agency, he clarified that "the intended delivery is of weapons that are not on the UN prohibited items list." On April 18, Iran unveiled the S-300 defense system received from Russia, which can destroy enemy aircraft at a distance of 150 kilometers and an altitude of 27 kilometers. Mr. Fomin further stated that Russia has delivered the first shipment of the S-300 system to Iran and is in the process of delivering the remaining shipment. He refrained from providing further details about the number of systems delivered to Iran, but it had previously been agreed that five S-300 systems would be exported to Iran. Mr. Fomin's remarks come amid reports from several Iranian and Russian officials about negotiations between the two countries regarding the purchase of fighter jets and tanks from Moscow. On May 29, ahead of Iranian Defense Minister Hassan Dehghan's trip to Moscow, the Iranian embassy in Russia announced that Dehghan is likely to discuss the purchase of Sukhoi-30 fighter jets and T-90 tanks during this visit. Last December, Amir Ahmadreza Pourdastan, commander of the Army Ground Forces, stated that "our relations with Russia regarding the purchase of equipment are ongoing, and we are working on the acquisition of T-90 tanks." Recently, there have also been sporadic reports citing some officials about the joint production of T-90 tanks by the two countries in Iran. After the implementation of the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers in January this year, UN and Western sanctions against Tehran's nuclear program were lifted, but some other sanctions in military and human rights areas remain in place for now. Countries around the world are prohibited from exporting heavy offensive military equipment to Iran. Mr. Fomin stated that negotiations regarding the export of tanks and fighter jets to Iran can be conducted as soon as these sanctions are lifted.