An Iranian delegation visited Moscow last month at the invitation of Russian arms manufacturer NPP Start. The purpose of this important visit was to purchase useful equipment from the arms manufacturing factories. The 17 members of the Iranian delegation were entertained with food and cultural programs. On the last day of the tour, they went to the weapons factory. Iran has been waiting for these weapons for a long time. Among them was Russia's advanced air defense system, which could detect and shoot down enemy warplanes.
Russia's advanced S-400 air defense system is manufactured in addition to mobile launchers and anti-aircraft weapons at the Yekaterinburg arms factory, which is under US sanctions due to the attack on Ukraine. Military experts have assessed this Russian air defense system as useful for detecting and destroying US and Israeli warplanes capable of evading radar.
According to Russian documents and some Iranian e-mails leaked by the hacker group last February, the purpose of the March visit to Russia by Iranian officials was to explore scientific and technological possibilities, as well as to see how much production Russia could enable Iran to do.
