Arms worth 500 million euros for Iran, through a secret agreement with Russia. The agreement signed in Moscow
Vladimir Putin with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, Photo: SalamPix-Abaca / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
Iran has finalized a confidential 500 million euro deal with Russia to acquire man-portable launchers and advanced surface-to-air missiles, according to Russian documents seen by the Financial Times (FT) and people familiar with the deal between the parties, Reuters notes.
In the agreement signed in Moscow in December, Russia committed to supply Iran with 500 portable “Verba” launchers and 2,500 “9M336” missiles over three years. It provides for deliveries in three installments, between 2027-2029, FT also mentioned.
The negotiations took place between the Russian state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, and a representative from the Iranian Ministry of Defense.
A contract seen by the FT shows that Tehran's official request was made in July 2025. In June, Iran fought a 12-day war with Israel, in which the US also intervened, attacking three of the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites.
US President Donald Trump said Iran's nuclear facilities were destroyed in the attack, but a preliminary intelligence assessment at the time showed the US military's airstrikes did not destroy Iran's nuclear capability, only setting it back by several months.
Iranian officials have repeatedly said that Tehran has recovered from the damage it suffered during the war.
Currently, the US is strengthening its military presence in the Middle East, and Donald Trump is considering a new attack on Iran, according to The Guardian. On Sunday, Axios reported that Washington's negotiators are prepared to hold a new round of talks with Iran on Friday in Geneva if they receive a detailed Iranian proposal for a nuclear deal within the next 48 hours.
There is a strategic partnership treaty between Russia and Iran, but it does not include a mutual defense clause.
