Iran buys Russia's latest MANPADS for 500 million

The agreement was signed in Moscow in December. Russia has committed to supplying Tehran with 500 Verba portable launchers and 2,500 9M336 missiles, according to the Financial Times.

The €495 million contract provides for deliveries in three stages between 2027 and 2029. A small number of systems may have been delivered earlier.

The price of one missile is €170,000, and the launch mechanism is €40,000. The agreement also includes 500 Mowgli-2 night vision sights.

Verba is one of the most advanced Russian portable air defense systems with infrared guidance, capable of hitting cruise missiles, low-flying aircraft, and drones. It can be used by mobile fire teams, allowing for the rapid creation of a dispersed defense without dependence on stationary radars.

The agreement was signed between Rosoboronexport and the Moscow representative office of the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics of Iran (MODAFL).

The negotiations were led by MODAFL representative Rukhollah Katabi. In 2024, the US imposed sanctions on him for organizing the sale of Fath-360 ballistic missiles to Russia, which the Russian Federation is using in the war against Ukraine.

Iran's ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, indirectly confirmed the intensification of deliveries this week. Over the past eight days, a Russian Il-76TD cargo plane has made at least three flights from Mineralnye Vody in Russia's Stavropol Krai to the Iranian city of Karaj, with another flight taking place at the end of December.

In January, Iran received up to six Russian Mi-28 attack helicopters.

Photo: Mil.ru.