Senior Russian Missile Specialists Visit Iran Amid Deepening Defense Cooperation
According to a recent Reuters review of travel records and employment data, several senior Russian missile specialists have visited Iran over the past year as the Islamic Republic has strengthened its defense cooperation with Moscow.
The seven weapons experts were said to have traveled from Moscow to Tehran on April 24 and September 17 last year. The booking records included their passport numbers, with most of them having passports designated for official state business, such as government officials on foreign work trips or military personnel stationed abroad.
While the exact purpose of their visits to Iran remains unclear, a senior Iranian defense ministry official revealed that Russian missile experts had made multiple visits to Iranian missile production sites, including underground facilities, last year. The official did not disclose the specific locations of these visits.
Additionally, a Western defense official monitoring Iran’s defense cooperation with Russia mentioned that Russian missile experts had visited an Iranian missile base near the port of Amirabad on the Caspian Sea coast in September. It is uncertain whether these visits align with the experts who traveled on the two flights mentioned in the records.
All seven Russians identified in the review have senior military backgrounds, with expertise in air defense missile systems, artillery, rocketry, and advanced weapons development. While their employment data ranged from 2021 to 2024, it was unclear if they are still active in those roles.
The timing of their trips coincided with heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, leading to military strikes by both sides in April and October.
When contacted by Reuters, five of the men denied visiting Iran or working for the military, one declined to comment, and one hung up. Both the Iranian and Russian defense ministries declined to provide a statement on the matter.
With the deepening defense cooperation between Iran and Russia, the visits of these senior missile specialists highlight the strategic partnership between the two countries in the realm of military technology and defense capabilities.
