Iran has asked Russia for air defense systems ahead of an upcoming attack on Israel, The New York Times reported, citing two Iranian officials persons, one of whom is a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Local media reported the request from Iran. The NYT's interlocutors confirmed this claim and said that Russia has also begun supplying Iran with advanced radars and air defense equipment.
After the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, Iran began threatening Israel with “swift and harsh” response, despite the fact that Israeli authorities did not claim responsibility for Haniya's death.
Against this background, Russia sent its high-ranking representative to Iran in the person of Sergei Shoigu.
The visit comes as the Islamic Republic considers how to respond to the killing of the Hamas leader. Russia condemned the killing of the leader of the Palestinian Islamist group in Iran last week and called on all countries to refrain from actions that could plunge the Middle East into a full-scale regional war.
Iran does not seek to escalate tensions in the region, but it must “punish“ Israel to prevent further instability after the assassination of the leader of the political wing of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, said the spokesman of the foreign ministry in Tehran, Nasser Khanani.
„Iran is trying to establish stability in the region, but this will only happen by punishing the aggressor and deterring the adventurism of the Zionist regime” (Israel), Kanani said at a regular press conference, adding that Tehran will inevitably take action.