Iranian weapons exports to Russia

Tehran and Moscow’s Defence Cooperation:

 In the spring of 2022, Iran sent its pilots to train on Sukhoi-35, an advanced fighter jet enabling the country to enhance its Airforce capability. Amidst losses against Ukraine, Tehran has provided Russia with much-needed firepower. For example 300,000 artillery shells and 10,00,000 rounds of ammunition were transported to Russia via the Caspian Sea between October 2022 and April 2023.

Iran has enabled Russia to destroy critical infrastructure in Ukraine through drones such as the Shahed-136 suicide drone and Mohajer-6 reconnaissance and strike drone. In addition, due to Russian missile shortages, Iran provided Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar missiles which are cheaper to acquire unlike Russian missiles such as Kalibr cruise missiles. Iran also used boats and a state-owned airline to send advanced long-range armed drones to Russia.

In exchange, Russia is providing Iran with Russian Sukhoi-35 combat jets, S-400 anti-missile systems and military satellites. Moreover, Moscow is enabling Tehran to clamp down on antiestablishment protests at home through the surveillance software.

How weapon export benefits Iran:

Iran sees providing Russia with cheaper alternatives like drones and ballistic missiles as a way to get modernised weapons such as fighter jets. Weapons exports to Moscow could help Tehran to enhance military capability through the acquisition of Russian fighter jets and anti-missile systems, represent a change in Russian Iranian relations as Moscow had earlier refused to provide Tehran with such weapons. With battle losses, Russia has turned to rogue states to acquire cheaper offensive weapons, Iran is exploiting the dependence to modernise its offensive capabilities.  

In August 2022, Iran launched its Khayyam satellite with the help of a Russian Soyuz rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, a spaceport in Kazakhstan leased by Russia. The satellite will enable the Islamic Republic to conduct surveillance on agricultural land, monitor land use such as unauthorised construction, deforestation, and search for mineral deposits.

In exchange for providing Russia with much-needed weaponry, Moscow provided Tehran with $140 million in cash and anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles illegally obtained from Western countries permitting the Islamic Republic to study and reverse-engineer them.

Tehran is exploiting Russia's dependence on drones, projecting itself as a supplier of aerial vehicles permitting it to acquire new customers. For example, in February 2023, an Iranian official confirmed that China is interested in obtaining 15000 drones enabling the Islamic Republic to attain wealth and keep the economy going.

Through the export of drones, Iran can form closer partnerships with Russia and China when it is under American sanctions due to Washington pulling out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action unilaterally under former President Donald Trump. Moreover, the Russian-Ukraine war has not only enabled Iran to boost defence manufacturing through the sale of drones, but it has kept NATO focused on Russia rather than Iran, permitting it to evade economic sanctions.

With the export of drones, Iran can double down on its asymmetric warfare capabilities through aerial vehicles. Defence cooperation with Russia enables the country to enhance its standing on traditional warfare. For instance, acquiring fighter jets and missile defence systems permits the Islamic Republic to bolster its offensive and defensive capacity in the air. These weapons will enable it to challenge regional rivals such as Saudi Arabia and Israel.

How weapon export benefits Russia:

Russia's engagement in Ukraine has seen the war drag on for far longer than what it anticipated in February 2022. With battle losses in Ukraine, it has used asymmetric warfare with drones through military cooperation with Iran. For instance, it has used Iranian drones like Shahed-131, Shahed-136, and Mohajer-6 to destroy railway lines, power grids, and water pipelines throughout Ukraine. The drones are a cheap substitute as compared to Russian missiles. For example Shahed-186 costs about $20,000 to manufacture, while the Kalibr missile costs about $1 million.

According to Anton Mardasov, a scholar at Middle East Institute and Russian International Affairs Council, drones have helped Russia to replace using cruise missiles which are expensive and would take years to build. It also allows Russia to stockpile missile for future use in plundering the Ukraine war.

Iranian drones also provide Russia to fulfil a gap in its aerial vehicle technology as current Russian drones such as ZALA/Kalashnikov KUB have smaller warheads and shorter ranges when compared to the Iranian drones. Until Russia can manufacture drones of higher quality, Tehran's exports used to destroy infrastructure and attack civilians.

In essence, the Russian military relies on technologies created by rogue states such as Iran to plunder Ukraine. Not only are they cheaper to acquire than using missiles built at home, but they are of higher quality when compared to drones made in Russia. Although the drones provided by Tehran will not alter the course of the war but have enabled Moscow to destroy Ukraine’s infrastructure and hopefully force the government into submission by breaking their morale through constant bombing.

Russia is in defence partnership with Iran, can bypass the sanctions on defence manufacturing at home and acquire ready-made weapons for a cheaper price enabling Moscow to prolong the war and not empty its wallet with the war in Ukraine.

Conclusion:

The focus of this article is on Iranian weapons export to Russia, have explored defence cooperation between American rivals wherein the Middle Eastern power has provided the European which much-needed weapons to achieve the objective of the military operation in Ukraine. The piece talks about how the Iranian weapon' export has benefited Tehran and how Moscow has benefitted from Iranian drones during the war in Ukraine. Finally, it is uncertain how long the weapon exchange carries on and whether it will translate into a deeper defence partnership between the two nations.

End Notes

1. “Iran’s deepening strategic alliance with Russia”, 9^th May 2023. https://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2023/feb/24/iran%E2%80%99s-deepening-strategic-alliance-russia
2. Michael Scollon, “Can Iran and Russia’s arms swapping sustain a lasting defence partnership”, 9^th May 2023. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-russia-arms-swapping-defense-partnership/32345959.html
3. Gabriela Rosa Hernandez, “Iran supplies arms to Russia”, 9^th May 2023. https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2022-11/news/iran-supplies-arms-russia#:~:text=Iran's%20sale%20of%20the%20missiles,exporting%20ballistic%20missiles%20until%202023.
4. Grant Rumley, “What the Russia-Iran arms deals mean for the West", 10^th May 2023.https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/04/19/iran-russia-arms-weapons-defense-exports-ukraine-war-middle-east/
5. Paul Iddon, “Iran’s burgeoning arms exports to Russia could be a sign of desperation”, 10^th May 2023.https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauliddon/2022/10/23/irans-burgeoning-arms-exports-to-russia-could-be-a-sign-of-desperation/?sh=54b252136edc
6. The Jamestown Foundation, “Iran’s exports are becoming a big problem for the West”, 10^th May 2023. https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/International/Irans-Weapon-Exports-Are-Becoming-A-Big-Problem-For-The-West.html
7. Grant Rumley, “What the Russian-Iran arms deals mean for the Middle East”, 11^th May 2023.https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/what-russia-iran-arms-deals-mean-middle-east
8. “Iran smuggled drones into Russia using boast and State airline, sources reveal”, 11^th May 2023.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/12/iran-uses-boats-state-airline-smuggle-drones-into-russia
9. Deborah Haynes, Adam Parker, “Iran’s alleged ammunition for Russia’s war in Ukraine: The secret journey of the cargo ships accused of supplying invasion”, 11^th May 2023. https://news.sky.com/story/irans-alleged-ammunition-for-russias-war-in-ukraine-the-secret-journey-of-the-cargo-ships-accused-of-supplying-invasion-12828039
10. Giorgio Cafiero, “Iran’s indispensable role for Russia in the Ukraine war”, 12^th May 2023https://gulfif.org/irans-indispensable-role-for-russia-in-the-ukraine-war/
11. “Iran to supply China with 15,000 drones, official says”, 12^th May 2023.https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230209-iran-to-supply-china-with-15000-drones-official-says/
12. Stephen Blank, “The emerging Russo-Iranian entente”, 12^th May 2023. https://jamestown.org/program/the-emerging-russo-iranian-entente/
13. Patrick Reevel, “What to know about the Iranian drones Russia is using in Ukraine”, 15^th May 2023. https://abcnews.go.com/International/iranian-drones-russia-attack-ukraine/story?id=91620223#:~:text=The%20supply%20of%20Iranian%20drones,numbers%20to%20replenish%20its%20stocks.
14. Steven Feldstein, “The larger geopolitical shift behind Iran’s drone sales to Russia”, 15^th May 2023. https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/10/26/larger-geopolitical-shift-behind-iran-s-drone-sales-to-russia-pub-88268
15. Tim Lister, “The Iranian drones deployed Russia in Ukraine are powered by stolen Western technology, research reveals”, 15^th May 2023.
16. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/28/world/iran-drones-russia-ukraine-technology-intl-cmd/index.html

Pic Courtsey-Greg Leaman at unsplash.com

(The views expressed are those fo teh author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)