High-ranking missile experts from Russia have flown to Iran several times. This happened against the backdrop of deepening defense cooperation between Tehran and Moscow.
Reuters reports this.
The agency was provided with flight booking information by hackers from the Hooshyaran-e Vatan group, which is opposed to the Iranian government. The data shows that seven experts flew from Moscow to Tehran on two flights on April 24 and September 17, 2024. Those identified have higher military ranks, two of them are colonels, and two are lieutenant colonels.
According to journalists, two of the men are experts in the field of anti-aircraft missile systems, three specialize in artillery and rocketry, one has experience in developing advanced weapons, and another worked at a missile range.
The records show the menʼs passport numbers, six out of seven of which have the suffix "20". According to a Russian government decree and data on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry, such a document is issued to officials on foreign business trips and military personnel stationed in other countries.
Reuters was unable to determine what exactly the Russian representatives were doing in Iran. A senior Iranian Defense Ministry official said that Russian specialists had repeatedly visited Iranian missile factories last year.
A Western military official claims that in September 2024, missile experts from Russia visited an Iranian missile base located about 15 km west of the port of Amirabad on the Caspian Sea coast.
- In February, CNN reported that Iran was resuming missile production after Israeli attacks on key factories in 2024.
- According to The New York Times, the country is also looking for ways to shorten the production cycle of nuclear weapons in case Tehran wants to acquire one.
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