Russian Missile Experts Visited Iran Near Direct Attacks on Israel

Moscow, Russia — At least seven senior Russian missile specialists visited Iran over the past year as part of expanding defense cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, a Reuters investigation has revealed.

The visits, which occurred on April 24 and September 17, 2024, were documented through travel records and employment data, showing the experts traveled aboard two flights from Moscow to Tehran.

The revelation comes amid escalating regional tensions and increasing military collaboration between the two nations.

The Russian specialists, whose travel details were confirmed by passenger manifests and booking records, hold senior military ranks, including colonels and lieutenant colonels, with expertise in air-defense systems, artillery, and advanced weapons development.

Six of the seven experts used passports with the “20” prefix, signifying state business, according to Russian government regulations. However, Reuters could not confirm the purpose of their visits or their specific activities in Iran.

An Iranian defense ministry official, speaking anonymously, disclosed that Russian missile experts visited multiple Iranian missile production sites, including two underground facilities, last year.

A Western defense official also confirmed that Russian experts had inspected a missile base near the port of Amirabad on Iran’s Caspian Sea coast.

Despite these accounts, it remains unclear if the Russians mentioned by the officials were the same individuals identified on the flights.

The timing of the visits was notable, coming shortly after Iran’s first-ever direct missile and drone attack on Israel in April 2024 and preceding a second strike in October.

These assaults, involving hundreds of ballistic missiles and attack drones, were largely intercepted by Israel’s air defenses with support from the United States and regional allies.

In retaliation, Israel conducted multiple strikes targeting Iranian air defense systems and manufacturing facilities.

Efforts to contact the Russian experts revealed conflicting responses. Five of the seven denied traveling to Iran or serving in the military, while one declined to comment and another terminated the call.

Both Iran’s defense and foreign ministries, as well as the Russian defense ministry, declined to respond to Reuters’ inquiries.

The increasing defense cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, highlighted by a 20-year military pact signed in January 2024, has also impacted Russia’s campaign in Ukraine.

Iranian-designed Shahed drones have been deployed extensively by Russian forces on the battlefield.

Analysts suggest that Iran’s missile program has reached a critical juncture, with its stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium growing by about 50% since December 2023, according to the UN nuclear watchdog.

Although Iran maintains that it opposes nuclear weapons, the enrichment level is alarmingly close to weapons-grade material, raising concerns among Western and Israeli defense officials about potential further escalation.

As the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East continues to shift, the clandestine visits of Russian missile experts to Iran underscore the deepening military alliance between the two nations, with potentially far-reaching implications for regional stability.