Russia Reportedly Transfers Iskander and Murmansk-BN Systems to Iran

Russia has allegedly transferred Iskander missile systems and Murmansk-BN electronic warfare systems to Iran, according to Israeli news service Channel 14. The transfer was reportedly carried out using an IL-76 military transport aircraft, which made multiple flights from Russia to Iran.

This move comes amid heightened tensions following threats from Iran to strike Israel in retaliation for the elimination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Defense Express noted that Iran had not previously been known to possess these types of weapons, and there had been no public discussion about their transfer. This suggests that Russian personnel might be accompanying the equipment to operate it, as Iranian specialists are unlikely to have been trained on these systems.

Murmansk-BN systems are designed to suppress satellite navigation and communication over distances up to 5,000 km.

The transfer of the Iskander missile system is significant in light of Iran’s missile needs. The Iskander systems have a range of up to 500 km, but Iran would require missiles with a range of about 1,200 km to reach Israel.

This raises the possibility that Iskander-K systems, with R-500 cruise missiles capable of reaching 1,500 km, might have been included in the transfer.

On Monday, August 5, Iran informed Israel of its preparations for an attack, as reported by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, according to The Jerusalem Post.

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Katz stated that Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto called him to convey information received from Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri. Katz did not provide further details.

On the same day, Russia’s former Defense Minister now the secretary of the Kremlin’s Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, has reportedly landed in Tehran to meet top Iranian officials.

As reported by Russian news agency Interfax, Shoigu was set to hold talks with President Masoud Pezeshkian, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Iran’s secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Mohammad Bagheri, chief of the general staff of the Iranian military.