More EU Measures Against Iran Military Support To Syria, Russia

Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani was asked on Wednesday about the status of the deal – which was purportedly finalized last year. He replied the country has the capability to produce the fighters domestically, suggesting a possible shift in plans. 

Iranian officials announced on several occasions during the past few years that Russia would sell several Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets to Iran, but such claims never yielded any results. 

Ashtiani, who sounded reluctant to provide any details, said: "At some point, we made a deal for the purchase, but we came to the conclusion that we have the ability to produce (fighter jets) in the country." However, he also mentioned that the authorities are "investigating the situation" and could reconsider the purchase if deemed necessary.

In 2018, Iran said it had started production of the locally designed Kowsar fighter for use in its air force. Some military experts believe the jet is a carbon copy of an F-5 first produced in the United States in the 1960s. 

Different scenarios have been speculated as to the reason behind the collapse of the deal with Russia. There are speculations that Israel may have influenced Russia's decision to withhold the advanced fighters from Iran. The American government has also expressed concerns about the extensive military cooperation between Russia and Iran, considering it potentially harmful to regional stability.

A more plausible explanation was given by aviation expert and author Babak Taghvaee, who said the obstacle is Russia's refusal to transfer crucial technology for producing Su-35 parts in Iran and providing knowledge for domestic maintenance for the next 30 years.

He cited Commander of the Iranian Army’s Air Force Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi as telling his sources that "for now, the General Staff of the Armed Forces has opposed procurement of Su-35SE multirole fighter jets from Russia as Russian government refuses to transfer technology for production of their parts in Iran as well as to provide the knowledge for maintaining the aircraft domestically for the next 30 years." 

Taghvaee added that Russians want to sell only 25 Su-35Es previously ordered by Egypt without proper maintenance, weapons, spare part support and simulators. 

“On the basis of the lessons learned from the sale and delivery of Su-30SM fighter jets to Armenia and the insidious decision of the Russian government for not allowing Armenians to operate them against Azerbaijan during the recent Karabakh war, it is highly possible that the untrustworthy Russians do the same to the Iranian air force in case of their intention for using Su-35SEs in war," he added. 

In September, Vahedi said that buying Su-35s is on the agenda of the Air Force but the country has no plans to buy Sukhoi Su-30s, both developed from Sukhoi Su-27 which was a Soviet-origin twin-engine supermaneuverable fighter aircraft. Su-35 is single-seat but Su-30 is a two-seat, multi-role fighter. According to reports, the Army’s Air Force needs at least 64 aircraft, 24 of which will come from Egypt's order which remained undelivered due to US pressure on Cairo.

Iran has also expressed interest in obtaining other advanced military tech from its partner in crime such as air-defense system S-400, a mobile, surface-to-air missile system. Iran has supplied hundreds of kamikaze drones to Russia that have been used to target Ukraine's military and civilian infrastructure. Moscow denies that its forces use Iranian-built drones in Ukraine, although many have been shot down and recovered there. 

Iran’s air force has only a few dozen strike aircraft: Russian jets as well as ageing US models acquired before the Iranian revolution of 1979. Instead, Iran has developed a variety of drones and missiles seen as a threat for other regional countries, especially Israel.

Earlier this week, the Israeli army successfully dropped bunker-busting bombs intended for the destruction of special trenches from its F-35 fighters, the Israeli Channel 14 reported, highlighting it as a clear message to Iran. Israel is the second country in the world after the US to test this capability, according to the report. 

Speaking at the ceremony on Thursday, Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani emphasized the significance of Latin American nations in Iran's foreign and defense policy. He claimed that these countries occupy a special place in Iran's strategic outlook, prompting the desire to forge closer ties with Bolivia in particular.

“In light of Bolivia's critical requirements in border defense and the fight against drug trafficking, we actively sought to establish collaborations in equipment and expertise with the country. This cooperative endeavor has the potential to serve as a pioneering model for other nations in South America,” Ashtiani said.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Defense of Bolivia, Edmundo Novillo Aguilar, acknowledged his country's concerns regarding drug smuggling and border control, highlighting the importance of external cooperation to address these pressing issues effectively.

Iran's pursuit of defense partnerships in the region has raised eyebrows due to its historically opaque behavior on the international stage. There are fears that the motives behind these engagements might extend beyond genuine cooperation and could involve the export of radical ideologies and the dissemination of unconventional arms and technologies.

Of particular concern is Iran's track record of supporting extremist groups and engaging in proxy warfare in other parts of the world. There are apprehensions that Iran may seek to exploit defense cooperation with South American nations as a means to advance its interests, extend its influence, and potentially interfere in regional affairs. Its growing encroachment on the continent is of particular worry to the US.

Alireza Tangsiri issued the warning as US prosecutors struggled to auction seized Iranian oil from a Greek tanker near Texas.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, the auctioning of 800,000 barrels of seized Iranian oil has been met with reluctance from US companies due to fears of Iranian retaliation. Companies with exposure in the Persian Gulf region are particularly wary, with concerns that they could become targets of Iranian aggression.

"We hold the oil company that wants to unload our oil from this ship responsible, and we also hold Washington responsible," Tangsiri declared.

The standoff sheds light on the complexities and challenges faced by the US government in enforcing sanctions against Iran. Iran's increased attacks against Western shipping interests serve as a deterrent to interdicting Iranian exports, making it difficult for the US to proceed with the auction of the seized oil.

In recent months, Tehran's military forces have hijacked several Western tankers in what is seen as retaliation for previous Western seizures of Iranian oil. This ongoing cycle of aggression has escalated tensions in the region and poses significant difficulties for the international community in maintaining stability and maritime security.

In response to the escalating situation, the US Defense Department announced on Monday that it would deploy F-35 jet fighters and a Navy destroyer to the Middle East. The deployment aims to deter further Iranian seizures of tankers and to address Russian aggression in the region.

Referring to the regime’s ongoing development of its nuclear program, he told the joint session of the US Congress: “Let there be no doubt: Iran does not strive to attain nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Iran is building nuclear capabilities that pose a threat to the stability of the Middle East and beyond.”

Meanwhile, the UK’s Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, echoed his sentiments at a fireside chat in Aspen, US, in which he said the UK is committed to working with its allies in the US, Europe and the Middle East “to ensure that we never see a nuclear-armed Iran”.

Both leaders stressed the global threats Iran poses, from its proxies across the Middle East to its foiled attacks in countries including at least 15 in the UK alone, as well as recent plans to attack Jewish and Israeli targets in Greece, Cyprus and Azerbaijan.

“Every country or region controlled or infiltrated by Iran has experienced utter havoc,” Herzog said. “We have seen this in Yemen, in Gaza, in Syria, in Lebanon, and in Iraq. In fact, we have seen this in Iran itself where the regime has lost its people, and is suppressing them brutally.”

The two leaders were speaking as the UK had imposed yet further sanctions on the country, ramping up on several months of penalties for both ongoing nuclear activity and the brutal suppression of protesters since September’s uprising in the wake of the death in morality police custody of Mahsa Amini.

“We maintain a tough and robust position towards Iran and that will remain our position,” Cleverly said. “If Iran does not like the UK’s response, then Iran needs to change its behavior. Our actions are in response to their behavior.”

Herzog also raised the issue of Iran’s arming Russia in its war in Ukraine, a claim the regime denies but more recently, evidence has shown the cooperation continues, and now it has been revealed that the two nations are building a joint weapons plant.

He said: “Iran has spread hatred, terror, and suffering throughout the Middle East and beyond, adding fuel to the disastrous fire and suffering in Ukraine.”

The Israeli President addressed in candid detail the threat posed to the Middle East’s only democracy. “Iran is the only nation on the planet publicly calling, plotting, and developing means to annihilate another nation, a member of the family of nations, the State of Israel. Israel has no border with Iran. Israel has no resources contested by Iran. Israel has no conflict with the Iranian people. And yet, the Iranian regime – together with its proxies throughout the Middle East – is aiming and working towards destroying the State of Israel, killing the Jews, and challenging the entire free world,” he told Congress.

He said that allowing Iran to become a nuclear threshold state, “whether by omission or by diplomatic commission, is unacceptable”, calling on the world not to remain indifferent to the Iranian regime’s call to wipe Israel off the map.

“Tolerating this call and Iran’s measures to realize it, is an inexcusable moral collapse,” he said, calling on the US to work with the Jewish state to prevent Iran’s fundamental threat to international security.

“I am here to reiterate what every Israeli leader has declared for decades: the State of Israel is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapon capabilities,” he added.

Reuters reported Monday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had signed a 120-day waiver under current US sanctions on Iran to allow Baghdad to pay for Iranian energy imports and deposit such payments into non-Iraqi banks in third countries.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller confirmed the news during his daily press briefing on Wednesday adding that “The one thing that is different about this renewal is that this latest package also expands the waiver to authorize the transfer of funds from those restricted accounts in Iraq to restricted accounts in select third-party banks.”

Miller emphasized that Iran can use the funds in non-Iraqi banks only to buy non-sanctionable goods, which essentially means food and medicine. He explained, “these funds will remain in accounts where they can only be used for non-sanctionable activity, and with every transaction approved in advance by the Department of Treasury.”

At the same time, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the US Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Bank of News York have banned 14 Iraqi banks from conducting US dollar transactions.

The report added that US officials acted against these Iraqi banks after uncovering information that they engaged in money laundering and fraudulent transactions, some of which may have involved sanctioned individuals, raising concerns about benefiting Iran.

The decision to allow Iraqi payments to be transferred to non-Iraqi banks could be related to long-standing suspicions of Iranian money-laundering efforts to transfer US dollars to Iran, which is short of hard currencies.