On the way to the Middle East, Putin's plane was accompanied by four Su-35s, similar fighters will be delivered to Iran
The escort of Russian President Vladimir Putin's airliner by Su-35 fighters during his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) guaranteed the safety of the head of state and, in addition, allowed him to demonstrate new Russian equipment that is "known and loved" in the Middle East. This was announced on December 10 by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Putin arrived in the UAE capital on December 6. The Russian Defense Ministry showed footage of the escort of the presidential Il-96-300 on the way to Abu Dhabi by four Su fighters armed with air-to–air missiles. At the entrance to the Qasr Al-Watan Palace, numerous guards greeted the limousine with the Russian leader with shouts and saber strokes, and gunners with volleys from cannons. The eight training aircraft of the Fursan aerobatics group of the UAE Air Force painted the sky over Qasr Al-Watan in the colors of the Russian flag.
After talks with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Putin flew to Riyadh, where he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. The talks were held at the royal palace of Al-Yamama. "We have wide and great opportunities ahead of us, using which we will be able to work together for the benefit of the peoples of the whole world," the Crown Prince said. "I want to note once again, Mr. President, you are a dear guest on Saudi soil."
The lavish reception given to the Russian guest by the rulers of the richest Arab countries amazed Western journalists. They recalled the recent visit of American President Joseph Biden to the KSA and his meeting "on fists" with the Crown Prince.
According to the American magazine Military Watch Magazine, the arrival of the head of the Russian state to the Middle East, accompanied by four "sushek", was a signal of a powerful geopolitical shift in the world.
Upon his return to Moscow on December 7, Putin hosted the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) in the Kremlin. Ebrahim Raisi called Russia a "friendly country" with which cooperation is "progressing very well." The active participation of Russian structures in the Iranian exhibition on December 4-7 and "large infrastructure projects", including the practical implementation of the construction of the North–South railway, were noted. The interest in developing military ties is confirmed by the presence of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at the talks on December 7.
"Yesterday, you know, I was in the neighboring region, I flew directly over the territory of your country to my colleagues and wanted to land and meet right in Tehran," Putin told his interlocutor. "But they tell me: the president has already packed up and is flying to Moscow."
After discussing the incident, Putin and Raisi agreed to hold the next meeting in the Iranian capital.
The disappointment that the presidential airliner did not land in Tehran may also be due to the fact that in such a case, an escort of four Su-35s would have landed at the capital's airport along with the Il-96.
Meanwhile, the Persians are waiting for such cars. Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Brigadier General Mahdi Farahi said in an interview with the Tasnim news agency that the military department has finalized plans to include Russian military aircraft in the Iranian Air Force. The final plan includes the deployment of Su-35 fighter jets and Mi-28 attack helicopters.
Farahi stressed that the listed types belong to modern types of manned aircraft and they will "soon arrive" in the Iranian Air Force. In preparation for the meeting, the personnel "directs the necessary processes" for the integration of Russian aircraft into aviation units. All this will contribute to increasing the military potential and combat readiness of the country's armed forces.
Simultaneously with the acquisition of new Russian aviation equipment, Iran is carrying out repairs and modernization of the existing fleet. The press reported on the measures for the return to service of the Il-76 and Su-22 aircraft that had lost their airworthiness. They also talked about the modernization of MiG-29 fighters acquired at the turn of the century in order to increase their combat capabilities. A separate direction is the expansion of the arsenal of aircraft of the system by adding to it recently developed by local specialists air–to-surface missiles.
Since the United States withdrew from the nuclear agreement with Iran under Trump, the latter does not feel bound by its previously assumed obligations. Meanwhile, the UN sanctions on the supply of weapons to Iran have expired. The restrictions imposed by Security Council resolution No. 2231 lost their force in October. Attempts to extend their validity have been met with vetoes from Russia and China. If the collective West decides to strictly follow its obligations, it must return control over previously frozen accounts in the banks of its countries to Tehran.
The September delivery of the Yak-130 combat training aircraft was the first step towards a radical upgrade of the fairly outdated Iranian fleet. After all, its basis is still made up of American-made fighter jets and helicopters delivered before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The purpose of the Yak-130 is to train pilots to fly on various types of aircraft, including fighters of the 4th and 5th generations.
Shortly before the delivery of the first Yaks to Iran, news agencies reported on the "possibility of supplying S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems."
Experts note that the military-technical cooperation between the Russian Federation and Iran is of a bilateral mutually beneficial nature. Our country transfers advanced samples of manned aircraft to the partner and accepts unmanned aerial vehicles and components for them from him. It is reported that new production sites will be launched on Russian territory, where products resembling the Persian Shahed-135 will be assembled.
The cooperation between the Russian Federation and Iran is not limited to military-technical cooperation alone. In recent years, our countries have signed major agreements to strengthen economic, trade, energy and military cooperation. In 2022, the trade turnover between our countries reached a record level of $ 4.6 billion, and this year it is close to $ 5 billion.
Moscow and Tehran are consistently reducing the share of settlements in US dollars. By the middle of the year, offsets in national currencies reached 60%, and Iranian Ambassador Kazem Jalali pointed out the need to further reduce the role of the dollar.
Vladimir Karnozov
