Iran Plans to Purchase Billions of Dollars in Military Hardware from Russia: White House

The United States administration believes that Iranian authorities are looking to acquire several billion dollars worth of Russian military equipment, including fighter jets. This was stated by John Kirby, the Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council (NSC), during a press briefing for reporters on Friday.

“Russia plans to work with Iran in exchange for acquiring more military equipment. Russia is offering Iran unprecedented defense cooperation, including in missiles, electronics, and air defense. We believe that Russia may provide Iran with fighter jets,” he asserted.

According to Kirby, Tehran also intends to purchase additional military equipment from Moscow, including attack helicopters and radar systems.

“Overall, Iran is seeking to acquire billions of dollars in military hardware from Russia,” he stated.

The NSC spokesman also claimed that Iran “provided artillery and tank shells to Russia in November 2022 for use in Ukraine.”

“We were concerned that relations between Russia and Iran would develop in two directions, and those concerns are certainly justified,” he added.

Kirby noted, “This is bad for the Middle East, as Iran will seek to benefit from cooperation with Russia and acquire Russian military resources to strengthen its own military might in the region.”

In this context, he continued, the defense cooperation between Russia and Iran is concerning for the U.S. administration. “This will not only complicate the situation in Ukraine but may also complicate the security situation of our partners and allies in the Middle East,” Kirby concluded.

Moscow and Tehran have repeatedly denied allegations of Iran supplying drones to Russia for use in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred to such reports as unfounded and stressed that the Russian military uses domestically produced aircraft. In early November 2022, the head of Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated that the Republic had supplied drones to Russia, but in small quantities and a few months prior to the start of military operations in Ukraine.