Drones, missiles and more? Putin drags Iran into war in Ukraine Bullying, tears and dismissal: British political chaos in 5 points

It’s an act of desperation. Against the Ukrainian counter-offensive, the Russian army relies on terror. Rockets are hitting residential areas across the country and there have been repeated attacks on critical infrastructure of major cities.

To that end, Putin’s forces are once again using an effective weapon: Iranian-made kamikaze drones. And that may be just the beginning. Because the Iranian mullah regime now apparently also wants to supply Russia with ground missiles – at least that’s what the Washington Post writes with references to American security circles.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine thus deepens a strategic partnership that is really nothing more than a pact of convenience and no longer a friendship. The reservations between Tehran and Moscow therefore remain large. And yet there has long been talk of an “axis of bandits” forming an alliance against the West – even though hardly anyone in Moscow admits it.

Officially, the Russian leadership is inconspicuous and wants nothing to do with Iranian arms supplies. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he has no information about the use of Iranian drones in Russian airstrikes in Ukraine. “Russian equipment with Russian designations is being used,” he told the press, according to the Reuters news agency.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has taken down numerous drones with explosives. These suggest that the Iranian «Shahed 136» was simply repainted in Russia. Now they are called “Geran-2”, the Russian name.

Regardless of the fact that Putin has repeatedly presented himself in the past as a fighter against Islamist fundamentalism, and for all the consequences that new sanctions could have on Iran, the war in Ukraine appears to be deepening the partnership between Tehran and Moscow. But the alliance was born of necessity and shows the Kremlin’s desperation. Russia has few allies.

That’s why Putin needs Iran

The Kremlin did not expect a long war in Ukraine. At the same time, he underestimated the defense capacity of the Ukrainian army and Western support. Western military experts say the Russian military is now running out of more modern weapon systems.

However, in the development of combat drones, Russia lagged far behind in international comparison, even before the conflict in Ukraine. Iran was not Moscow’s first choice when it came to purchasing, the Kremlin actually wanted to buy Bayraktar drones from Turkey. The use of these combat drones by Ukraine was very effective in the early months of the war. Time and again, the Ukrainian army used it to attack Russian convoys.

But Putin received a refusal in Turkey that amounted to a slap in the face. “No matter how much money they offer us, giving drones is out of the question in this situation. At the moment we fully support the Ukrainian side,” Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of the Turkish company Baykar, told the BBC. “Money is not a priority for us. Money and material resources have never been the goal in our company.”

In terms of drones, Iran was the Kremlin’s last resort, although Iran’s technology appears to have major flaws. “If you launch ten medium-range systems, maybe seven will arrive,” said an expert familiar with Iranian drones, the “Mirror”. The Washington Post wrote in September of “numerous errors” and quoted a US intelligence official as saying, “The Russians are not satisfied.”

Yet the Kremlin now apparently has to use weapons from Iran to plug its own holes in its arsenal. Western intelligence agencies have long reported that the Russian military has run out of modern guided missiles. Deliveries from Iran would therefore make sense.

Iran sees way out of isolation

Conversely, Iran sees cooperation as an opportunity to escape international isolation by joining the bloc with Russia and China. However, you should never forget this, Middle East expert and orientalist Daniel Gerlach told Deutsche Welle in July:

“There are no allies for the whole political mindset of the Iranian leadership. It doesn’t see Russia as an ally at all, but rather as a rival in many areas, with whom you have to work point by point.” For Iran, the crisis in Ukraine is an opportunity to get back into the game.

The mullahs’ regime is mainly concerned with lifting Western sanctions, especially if negotiations on a new nuclear deal fail. Particularly in the commodities sector, Tehran wants to market its oil and has similar interests to Moscow.

Russia seems to be learning how to circumvent Western sanctions in the raw materials sector. British media report that numerous Russian “ghost ships” with their tracking transmitters switched off on the high seas are mixing their oil with “politically harmless” oil. The origin is thus disguised, a trick that usually works well. The proceeding is dubbed “Iranian oil settlement,” which is likely to cost Russia dearly.

But even beyond that, support from Iran will be expensive for Russia. “We have signed a memorandum of understanding with Russia on the development of gas fields worth $4 billion and an agreement on the construction of gas pipelines and plants for the production of liquefied natural gas worth $40 billion,” Iran’s minister of state said. Oil, Javad Ouji, in a statement. October interview. In plain language, this means that Iran primarily wants to profit economically from Putin’s plight.

Limited use of Iranian weapons

So for Russia, the benefits of an alliance with Tehran are mostly economic and political. In this way Putin can demonstrate that he still finds support internationally. That these are radical Islamists is of secondary importance to the Kremlin in the current situation. The Russian president is also counting on expanding trade routes via Iran to India.

And military? Could Iran with its weapons possibly have a decisive influence on the war in Ukraine?

From a purely technological point of view, there are great doubts about this representation. According to military experts, Iran’s drones are only effective when Ukraine’s modern air defenses are not active. Their slow speed makes them an easy target for S-300 or Iris-T systems.

In addition, Iran has many outdated weapons systems that have been modernized in-house. Their effectiveness is uncertain, especially outside combat in the desert.

After all, Iran has spent years preparing for national defense or for a war against Saudi Arabia. Considering that Putin’s army in Ukraine now mainly needs equipment for the winter, Tehran is probably not the right place to go.

But perhaps Moscow is only interested in a small matter. It could also be that Moscow simply wants to prevent further international aid. The more offensive Iran becomes as a war party alongside Putin, the greater the political pressure on Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The Israeli government has already been criticized internationally and nationally for failing to impose sanctions on Russia. With stronger support from Iran, Putin could eventually drag not only Tehran into the war in Ukraine, but other powers that are enemies of Iran – and fear the fallout in the Middle East.

Used sources: