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According to Mehr, an Iranian news outlet, the first shipment of Russian-made SU-35 fighter jets is expected to arrive in the Islamic Republic of Iran next week. The original agreement to deliver these jets was signed on March 11 between Iran and Russia, as reported by state media IRNA.
IRNA states that Russia expressed its readiness to sell the fighter jets once UN Resolution 2231, which prohibited Iran from acquiring conventional weapons, expired in October 2020. In the face of Western sanctions, Tehran and Moscow have strengthened their cooperation, signing significant agreements to enhance economic, commercial, energy, and military ties.
Shahriar Heydari, a member of the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy panel, revealed that the jets would be delivered within the current Iranian calendar year, starting from March 21. Heydari also disclosed that Russia would soon provide Iran with air defense systems, missile systems, and helicopters.
This announcement by Heydari is part of the broader Russian-Iranian cooperation framework, which includes finance, banking, and trade. This framework aims to establish an economic roadmap independent of Western dominance and sanctions.
Moreover, as part of this agreement, Iran may send short-range precision-guided ballistic missiles to Russia. It is worth noting that, apart from a few Russian MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters purchased in the 1990s, Iran has not acquired any new fighter aircraft in recent years.
The Sukhoi SU-35s that Iran will receive are highly maneuverable fourth-generation fighter jets primarily intended for air superiority missions, according to media reports. In addition to the MiG-29, the Iranian air force mainly operates locally modified F-4 Phantom II, F-14 Tomcat, and F-5E/F Tiger II jets that were provided to the deposed US-backed Pahlavi government prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
As part of their cooperation, Russia and Iran have been working on methods to alleviate the economic sanctions imposed on them. This includes the potential integration of card payment systems. Iran has also played a role as a transit hub, facilitating the transportation of goods from Russia to India via the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).