Missile deal: Russia agrees to sell Iran 90 launchers

Russia agreed in 2024 to supply Iran with 90 advanced missile launchers, according to documents from a major Russian defense manufacturer. The Financial Times reported on Friday that the contract covers the LMUR, also known as Izdeliye 305. This light multipurpose guided missile entered military service in 2022 and is designed to strike moving targets. Russian forces have used the weapon extensively in Ukraine. The launchers are built specifically for the Mi-28 attack helicopters, a type Iran already owns.

The timing of the report coincides with a visit by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, to Moscow. He met with President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday. Rezaei delivered a message from Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei aimed at furthering bilateral cooperation. The Kremlin stated that the talks focused on regional security arrangements and the post-war period. Rezaei noted that significant conversations took place regarding Russia’s support for ending what he termed US aggression against Iran.

This development follows a meeting between Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in late October. The two nations signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in January 2025, which took effect in October of that year. The agreement covers trade, military cooperation, science, culture, and education. Unlike the pact Russia signed with North Korea, the deal with Tehran does not include a mutual defense clause.

Western intelligence officials say the relationship between Moscow and Tehran has deepened recently. This shift occurs despite President Donald Trump’s claim that Russia is doing very little to help Iran. Iranian Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said on Saturday that Tehran had also purchased Russian Su-35 fighter jets. Iran has provided Moscow with ammunition, artillery shells, firearms, short-range ballistic missiles, helmets, and flak jackets for the Ukraine war. Suspicion also exists that Tehran supplied drones.

Hanna Notte of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies told the Financial Times that Russia is walking a fine line. She argued that Moscow wants to avoid disrupting its other relationships with the US and other Middle Eastern countries. Notte described Russia’s support as operationally helpful but not a game changer in the current conflict. Al Jazeera was unable to confirm if the 90 launchers have been delivered to Iran.