Iran Ramps up Military Support of Russia by Selling Missiles and Drones

Iranian S-300 missiles being carried during a military parade just outside of Tehran on Sept. 22, 2022. Photo: AP/Vahid Salemi

Iranian officials are planning to increase the country’s military support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by sending, for the first time, “surface-to-surface” missiles intended for use against Ukrainian cities and troop positions. The deal undoubtedly comes at a welcome time for the Russians, as they have recently faced several large setbacks in their campaign against Ukraine. The war has been costly for Russian military equipment, and an increased supply of Iranian imports can help offset such shortages. 

Since Iran’s breakdown of relations with the West following U.S. President Donald Trump’s hawkish foreign policy towards the nation, the Islamic Republic has looked towards Russia and China for military and economic partnerships. Tehran has been selling Moscow drones for many months, and weapons deals between the countries have “predated the invasion of Ukraine.” 

Iran’s new agreement to send Russia missiles is effectively an escalation of previous Iranian foreign policy. Although Iran has not officially admitted to sending Russia weapons for use in Ukraine, the country’s tacit military support of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion is in line with this strategy. 

Photo of an Iranian Drone used by the Russian military in Ukraine. Photo: Ukrainian military's Strategic Communications Directorate via AP

European Union (EU) foreign ministers are discussing a new approach to relations with Iran, following the continuation of sizable weapons deals with the Kremlin. EU politicians are heavily invested in diverting Iranian weapons for the defense of Ukraine, as three drones used in Russia’s recent attack on the Ukrainian town Makariv were Iranian-made, according to regional officials. 

Many European officials are now considering economic sanctions against Iran and any other country that funnels military resources towards Russia. The EU is already set to impose travel bans and asset freezes on 15 prominent Iranians following demonstrations sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody. 

Iranian military instructors have reportedly been found inside Russian-occupied Ukraine itself, training Russian troops on how to use the Iranian-exported Shakid-136 drones in combat. These instructors, according to the Institute for the Study of War, are likely “affiliated” with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). If confirmed to be true, this would be relatively serious involvement by the Middle Eastern country in the Russia-Ukraine War, comparable in principle (if not in caliber) to the West’s unanimous support for Ukraine. 

Iran and Russia have reportedly been “collaborating” to dodge Western sanctions, potentially weakening American leverage over the two countries. China, the world's second most powerful economy after the United States, has helped both Iran and Russia achieve this goal by cooperating with the countries on economic and security initiatives. 

Iran’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, along with the ongoing protests throughout the Islamic Republic, are placing a serious wrench in ongoing negotiations to resurrect the Iran Nuclear Deal, which was effectively canceled by US President Donald Trump in 2018. Tensions between Iran and the West, caused primarily by these two factors, are as high as ever.