Russia and Iran reportedly deepen military ties with deal involving 90 missile launchers
Russia and Iran are deepening their military cooperation, with Moscow reportedly sending 90 helicopter-mounted missile launchers used for precision strikes.
The Financial Times noted that the latest agreement adds to others reached over the past months, including a secret program to help Tehran develop supersonic cruise missiles.
The outlet noted that documents detailing the deal do not confirm whether the launchers were effectively sent, but they are the same ones Moscow uses in the Ukraine war to launch multipurpose guided missiles.
Other reports published over the course of the war showed that Moscow has been sending military equipment to Iran in the form of drone components, ammunition and explosives. NBC News detailed in August that it obtained documents from a European government describing the shipments.
The Jerusalem Post also detailed in June that Russia provided Iran with a list of over 50 Israeli energy infrastructure targets.
The outlet noted that the list consists of 55 critical locations and could have allowed Tehran to launch precision missile strikes against Israel’s energy grid.
Moscow and Tehran are also working toward an agreement to jointly develop modular nuclear reactors. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesperson and deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said in late October that the countries are in the “process of signing a protocol with the Russian side to accelerate their joint construction.”
The course of the war, however, is unclear as it emerged as the main reason for the Republican party’s historic defeat in the midterm elections.
The blame game is already in full display in the Republican party, especially after Vice President JD Vance said in a social media post that an “honest conversation” about the matter needs to be had about it moving forward.
Vance analyzed the election on Wednesday, saying that many Republicans who turned out to vote instead chose Democrats to punish their party for ignoring their concerns.
“Undoubtedly there were places we could have done better on turnout. But the main problem is not turnout. The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026,” Vance said in a passage of the publication.
He went on to concede the argument from a pollster who told him the administration’s economic message “wasn’t sharp enough down the stretch,” but the “real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone.”
“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night. If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest. But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there,” Vance added.
