The Iranian government has requested advanced radars and air defense systems from Russia in preparation for a possible war with Israel.

The New York Times reported on this with reference to its own sources.

Two Iranian officials, one of whom is a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, confirmed that Iran had requested advanced air defense equipment from Russia.

Specific systems are not named, but it concerns Russian-produced air surveillance radar systems and air defense systems.

The request was made during former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s visit to Iran, where he met with Masoud Pezeshkian, the country’s new president, and Brig. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, commander of the Iranian armed forces, who is leading the planning for military strikes on Israel.

The media notes that this request may be part of the preparations for a military operation against Israel, which is supposed to be revenge for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran last week.

At the same time, Russia itself is experiencing a significant deficit in air defense systems. This is evidenced by the opening of the borders for the transfer of systems to Ukraine, including S-300V4 systems from the Kuril Islands.

The Russian defense industry is also unable to cope with deliveries due to the redirection of products to the needs of the warring army. As a result, the completion of the Indian contract for the supply of S-400 air defense systems was postponed from 2023 to 2026.

The Russian military continues to suffer significant losses in air defense systems from attacks by the Ukrainian military with ATACMS ballistic missiles, and GMLRS guided missiles.

The production of air defense systems is a long and painstaking process, so if the supply is approved, Iran will receive systems from the balance of the Russian Armed Forces.

Obviously, Iran is looking for ways to protect its military facilities from Israeli strikes, so we can discuss systems such as Pantsir-S1, Tor-M2, Buk-M2, and Buk-M3, as well as the latest S-400.