Iran has reportedly struck a deal with Russia to purchase advanced Su-35 fighter planes, according to Iranian state media on Saturday.
The agreement signals an expansion of the existing relationship between the two countries, which saw Iran-built drones used in Russia’s war on Ukraine. Although the details of the deal were not disclosed, the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York said that the fighter planes were “technically acceptable to Iran.”
The report did not include any confirmation from Russia, although it stated that Iran had also inquired about purchasing military aircraft from several other, unnamed countries. Iran’s air force has only a few dozen strike aircraft, including Russian jets and ageing US models acquired before the Iranian revolution of 1979. In 2018, Iran announced the start of production of the Kowsar fighter, which some military experts believe is a copy of the F-5 jet produced in the United States in the 1960s.
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