Secret deal with Moscow! Tehran buys thousands of advanced hand-launched missiles

Iran has signed a secret arms deal with Russia worth 500 million euros. It concerns thousands of advanced hand-launched missiles. The deal was signed in Moscow in December, but has only now been made public, writes the Financial Times, quoted by Focus.

According to the deal, Russia has committed to delivering 500 portable launchers "Verba" and 2,500 9M336 missiles. The deliveries will be made in three phases, from 2027 to 2029. The FT report cites leaked Russian documents and statements from several people familiar with the deal.

The deal was reportedly brokered by Russia’s state arms exporter "Rosoboronexport" and a representative of Iran’s Moscow-based Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL).

According to documents seen by the publication, Tehran submitted a formal request for the systems in July last year. This comes a month after US forces carried out attacks on three major Iranian nuclear facilities in June last year.

US President Donald Trump said at the time that key facilities had been destroyed, but a preliminary assessment by US intelligence agencies indicated otherwise.

According to them, the attacks did not destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities, but only delayed the development of the program by several months. Since then, Iranian authorities have repeatedly stated that the country has recovered from the damage and that its capabilities are now greater than ever.

Russia and Iran have a strategic partnership agreement, which does not include a mutual defense clause. As part of the cooperation, Russian and Iranian militaries held joint military exercises in the Gulf of Oman earlier this month.