The head of Russia's Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, arrived in Tehran on Monday to meet with senior officials as Iran prepares to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of a Hamas political leader on Iranian soil last week, which poses a threat of starting a regional war, The New York Times reported.
Shoigu met with the new President of Iran, Massoud Peseshkian, and the commander of the Iranian armed forces, Brigadier General Mohammad Bagheri, who is in charge of planning military strikes against Israel. A meeting was also held with the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.
Iranian media reported that Iran has requested advanced air defense systems from Russia as it prepares for a possible war with Israel.
"Two Iranian officials familiar with military planning, one of whom is a member of the IRGC, confirmed that Iran had made a request and reported that Russia had begun supplying advanced radars and air defense equipment. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity," the American newspaper writes.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered Iran to launch a direct strike against Israel. In turn, American and Israeli officials said they expect Iran and allied factions in the region to launch a large-scale and coordinated attack on Israel.
"We are ready for comprehensive cooperation with Iran on regional issues," Shoigu said, according to Iranian state media.
Despite the fact that Russia also has economic and cultural ties with Israel — there are a large number of Russian Jews living there — analysts say that Russia cannot afford to reject Iran's requests for help, as it allegedly relies heavily on Iranian drones in Ukraine.
"If the Iranians ask the Russians for air defense, they cash out their chips," said Colin P. Clark, director of policy and research at the Soufan Group, an intelligence and security consulting firm. "The question is how the Russians can calm Tehran down without destroying their relations with Israel."