Iran is conducting secret diplomatic missions to Russia to expand military cooperation between the countries and obtain assistance in implementing its nuclear program.
This was reported to The Times by Western intelligence sources.
The publicationʼs sources say that Ali Larijani, a senior advisor to Iranʼs supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, flies back and forth on secret flights to meet with senior Russian officials.
Larijani is a former speaker of Iranʼs parliament and nuclear negotiator. He is a Khamenei representative, extremely close to the regime, and has a reputation for being a man who knows how to achieve his goals.
Late last year, he made several visits to Damascus and Beirut in an attempt to consolidate the “resistance”, including after Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. His secret flights to Moscow are evidence of deepening Iranian-Russian relations and increasing leverage over each other.
“As they deepen their strategic relationship, and Russia depends on Iran for missiles and drones, there are concerns that Moscow is ready to cross previously drawn red lines on Iran’s nuclear program,” a Western intelligence source said.
Iran is counting on further assistance from Russia in implementing its nuclear program, including training its specialists, assistance in restoring the S-300 air defense systems destroyed by Israel, supplying Su-35 fighters, and rearming the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
The Times estimates that it could take Iran anywhere from a few months to a year to build a nuclear-powered ballistic missile. A nuclear weapon requires the production of uranium enriched to 90 percent purity. The IAEA estimates that Iran has enriched uranium to 60 percent.
- Moscow and Tehranʼs defense partnership has grown significantly since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. For example, the Russian Defense Ministry has been using Iranian-made Shahed-131/136 kamikaze drones to strike Ukraine. In early September 2024, Iran transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia.
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