Nearly a year after Iran bought 50 Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, the planes have still not been delivered, journalist Saeed Azimi wrote in a July 13 report for the Analysis Center of the Stock Exchange and the Bazaar Foundation.
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In Azimi’s article, he mentioned that Iranian Brig. General Hamid Vahedi has confirmed the completion of all payments for the Russian Su-35 fighters. These jets were supposed to be in Tehran’s possession this year, but the government is unsure whether they will ever arrive.
Azimi said Iran expected the plane to be delivered three weeks ago. However, Vahedi claimed that the delivery should not take place. Furthermore, he revealed that senior Iranian officials have acknowledged this decision while continuing to wait for the required planes, uncertain when they will be incorporated into their fleet.
According to the report, Iran’s air force is mostly made up of obsolete US aircraft that are well past their operational lifespan. Consequently, Tehran was forced to purchase 50 Su-35 fighters from its ally, Russia.
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Russia managed not only to secure prepayment for the plane, but also to negotiate a deal for Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones. Tehran started supplying the drones at the end of 2022. Almost a year has passed since these arrangements were made, and yet Tehran has not received any Su-35 aircraft.
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Azimi’s article points out that Russia, faced with challenges stemming from its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, has asked for help from Iran. In return, Tehran responded to the Kremlin’s request by providing support. However, as Azimi concludes, Iran was simply exploited, receiving nothing in return.
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The Wall Street Journal reported in late April that over the past six months Iran had supplied Russia with more than 300,000 artillery shells and around one million cartridges via freighters.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine