FT: Iran seals €500-million secret arms pact with Russia to restore air shield

Iran has concluded a confidential €500 million weapons agreement with Russia aimed at restoring air defence capabilities severely damaged during last year’s war with Israel.

The deal, finalised in Moscow in December, obliges Russia to supply 500 man-portable “Verba” launcher units alongside 2,500 “9M336” missiles over a three-year period, according to leaked Russian documents reviewed by the Financial Times (FT) and sources familiar with the arrangement.

The Verba ranks among Russia’s most advanced air-defence systems, a shoulder-launched, infrared-guided missile designed to intercept cruise missiles, low-altitude aircraft and drones.

Under the €495 million Verba contract, deliveries are planned in three phases between 2027 and 2029, although one individual familiar with the deal indicated that a limited number of systems might have already reached Iran earlier.

Tehran officially requested the equipment last July, according to a contract reviewed by the FT, only days after the conclusion of a 12-day conflict in which the United States briefly joined Israel in attacks targeting Iran’s three principal nuclear facilities.

During that campaign, Iran’s integrated air-defence infrastructure suffered significant damage, allowing Israel’s air force to swiftly achieve and maintain air superiority across large portions of Iranian territory.

A former senior US official suggested that Moscow likely viewed the agreement as an opportunity to repair relations with Tehran after failing to provide direct support to its ally during the 12-day war with Israel.

“They want Iran to remain their partner. And so even if they can’t react in the middle of a crisis, they’re going to look after the crisis to try to patch up the relationship,” they said.

Negotiations over the Verba deal were conducted between Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state arms export agency, and the Moscow office representing Iran’s Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL).

The agreement highlights continuing military cooperation between the two countries amid intensified Western scrutiny.

Over the past two years, Tehran has supplied Moscow with drones and missiles during Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, while both states signed a treaty in January 2025 aimed at strengthening bilateral relations.

Unlike larger Russian strategic air-defence platforms such as the S-300 and S-400, Verba systems require less training and integration, enabling far faster deployment and operational use.

By Jeyhun Aghazada