Iran Signs Secret €500 Million Deal for Russian Missiles to Rebuild Defences Destroyed by Israel — Leaked Documents Reveal

Iran's air defences lie in ruins.

So Tehran turned to Moscow for help — and may have made a dangerous bet.

Leaked Russian documents obtained by the Financial Times reveal thatIransigned a secret €500 million or $589 million (£436 million) arms contract withRussiain December to acquire thousands of advanced shoulder-fired missiles. The goal: rebuild the air defence network that Israel destroyed during last year's 12-day war.

But here's the problem. The weapons won't arrive until 2027 at the earliest. And the US military is already at Iran's doorstep.

The deal, negotiated between Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and Iran's Ministry of Defence, commits Moscow to deliver 500 man-portable Verba launch units and 2,500 9M336 missiles in three batches running through 2029, according to documents seen by the Financial Times.

Each missile costs roughly $200,000 (£148,000). The launchers run about $47,000 (£35,000) apiece. The contract also includes 500 'Mowgli-2' night-vision sights for tracking aircraft in darkness.

TheVerba is one of Russia's most modern portable air defence systems. It uses infrared guidance to target cruise missiles, low-flying aircraft, and drones. Small mobile teams can operate it without relying on fixed radar installations — the kind of installations that Israeli strikes wiped out last June.

Tehran formally requested the systems in July 2025, weeks after US and Israeli forces struck Iran's three main nuclear sites during what the Pentagon called Operation Midnight Hammer.

The contract was signed in December. That same month,Trump began threatening military action against Iran over its nuclear programme and crackdown on protesters.

Two aircraft carrier strike groups now sit in the region: the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf and the USS Gerald R. Ford steaming toward the Arabian Sea. Fighter jets, refuelling tankers, and submarines have followed. According to CNN, the current US air force presence in the Middle East is the largest since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Source: International Business Times UK