Russian Missile Specialists Visit Iran, Deepening Defence Cooperation
Introduction
Several senior Russian missile specialists have visited Iran over the past year as the Islamic Republic has deepened its defence cooperation with Moscow, a Reuters review of travel records and employment data indicates. The seven weapons experts were booked to travel from Moscow to Tehran aboard two flights on April 24 and September 17 last year.
Travel Records and Employment Data
The booking records include the men’s passport numbers, with six of the seven having the prefix "20". That denotes a passport used for official state business, issued to government officials on foreign work trips and military personnel stationed abroad, according to an edict published by the Russian government and a document on the Russian foreign ministry’s website.
The seven Russians identified by Reuters all have senior military backgrounds, with two ranked colonel and two lieutenant-colonel, according to a review of Russian databases containing information about citizens’ jobs or places of work, including tax, phone and vehicle records.
Visits to Iranian Missile Production Sites
A senior Iranian defence ministry official said Russian missile experts had made multiple visits to Iranian missile production sites last year, including two underground facilities, with some of the visits taking place in September. A Western defence official, who monitors Iran’s defence cooperation with Russia and also requested anonymity, said an unspecified number of Russian missile experts visited an Iranian missile base, about 15 km (9 miles) west of the port of Amirabad on Iran’s Caspian Sea coast, in September.
Russian Defence Ministry Officials’ Responses
Reuters contacted all the men by phone: five of them denied they had been to Iran, denied they worked for the military or both, while one declined to comment and one hung up. Iran’s defence and foreign ministries declined to comment for this article, as did the public relations office of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite force that oversees Iran’s ballistic missile program. The Russian defence ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Cooperation between Russia and Iran
Cooperation between the two countries, whose leaders signed a 20-year military pact in Moscow in January, has already influenced Russia’s war on Ukraine, with large numbers of Iranian-designed Shahed drones deployed on the battlefield.
ROCKETS AND ARTILLERY
The flight booking information for the seven travellers was shown to Reuters by Hooshyaran-e Vatan, a group of activist hackers opposed to the Iranian government. The hackers said the seven were travelling with VIP status.
Conclusions
The visits of Russian missile specialists to Iran suggest a deepening of defence cooperation between the two countries, which could have significant implications for regional and global security. The exact nature and purpose of these visits remain unclear, but the involvement of senior military officials and the secrecy surrounding the trips suggest that the collaboration is serious and ongoing.
FAQs
Q: What is the purpose of the Russian missile specialists’ visits to Iran?
A: The exact purpose of the visits is unclear, but they may be related to defence cooperation between Russia and Iran.
Q: How many Russian missile specialists visited Iran?
A: Seven Russian missile specialists were booked to travel to Tehran on two separate flights in April and September 2024.
Q: What is the significance of the Russian defence ministry’s response to the visits?
A: The Russian defence ministry’s decision not to comment on the visits suggests that the collaboration is ongoing and may be sensitive or classified.
Q: What is the impact of the Russian-Iranian cooperation on regional and global security?
A: The cooperation could have significant implications for regional and global security, potentially altering the balance of power in the Middle East and beyond.