Iran Claims to Finalize Deal to Buy Russian Fighter Jets

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The Facts

  • Iran's Deputy Defense Minister Brigadier General Mahdi Farahi has reportedly announced the purchase of Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, Mi-28 attack helicopters, and Yak-130 jet trainers from the Russian military.

  • In September 2022, Iranian Air Force Chief Hamid Vahedi claimed that the purchase of Russian Sukhoi Su-35s was "being considered," while Shahriar Heidari — a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission — had claimed earlier this year that other equipment like air defense systems, missile systems, and helicopters, could potentially be delivered by last March.


The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

Military cooperation between two amicable countries, such as Russia and Iran, is both a legitimate and effective strategy for ensuring regional security and economic growth. The West continues to use Ukraine as a propaganda tool to demonize Iran-Russia ties as a threat to global peace, but such accusations are baseless attempts to distort the reality of two friends on the international stage.

Pro-establishment narrative

Iran, Russia, and China continue to undermine attempts to establish international peace via an intricate system of diplomacy, propaganda, and conflict. Iran continues to drive Hamas forward, while Russia has doubled down in its illegitimate attempt to conquer Ukraine. The rest of the world, led by the West, must wake up to this global threat and fight back against state actors who continue to damage global security.


Metaculus Prediction


Go Deeper


Establishment split

CRITICAL

PRO