A senior defense official told reporters on Friday that Iran and Russia are collaborating to force the United States out of Syria.
The official disclosed for the first time that a Russian aircraft had flown unprofessionally near a US MQ-9 drone earlier that day. In contrast, a second aircraft had spent "an extended period" monitoring the Al Tanf garrison in Syria.
Iran-Russia Urge to Push US Out of Syria
The United States needed more means to deter the manned aircraft flying over its base. The official explained that these incidents, which include Iranian interceptions of vessels in adjacent waterways, represent a significant increase in the aggressiveness of Russian forces in the region.
In the past, there have been frequent blips of increased Russian aggression in the region, the official said, but this spring marked the beginning of a protracted period of this behavior, which is still ongoing.
Despite the increased aggression from Russia's military in the Middle East, the official asserted that escalation with US forces does not appear likely. American military commanders are also opposed to engaging Russian forces.
The official stated that the correspondence on the de-confliction line "occasionally gets quite intense."
Given the strengthened relationship between Iran and Russia, which was primarily forged during Russia's conflict in Ukraine, the official believes there is now a "qualitative difference" between the two countries. Iran has supplied Russia with hundreds of lethal drones, which Russia then employed against Ukrainian infrastructure.
Iran has finalized an agreement with Russia to purchase Su-35 fighter jets and is seeking additional armaments and equipment, such as assault helicopters, radars, and YAK-130 trainer aircraft.
John Kirby, the coordinator of the National Security Council, told the Washington Examiner last month that the United States is concerned that Russia is collaborating with Iran to produce Iranian UAVs from within Russia and that "this facility could be fully operational by early next year."
Iran to Receive Su-35 Jets From Russia
This year, Tehran was anticipated to receive these jets, but the government is now still determining if they will ever materialize. Iran's highest-ranking officials have acknowledged this decision while awaiting the necessary aircraft, still determining when they will be integrated into their fleet.
According to the report, most of Iran's aviation force consists of obsolete US aircraft that have long outlived their usefulness. Therefore, Iran was forced to acquire 50 Su-35 fighters from its ally, Russia.
Russia secured the aircraft's down payment and negotiated a contract for Shahed suicide drones manufactured in Iran. In late 2022, Tehran began supplying UAVs. Since these arrangements were made nearly a year ago, Tehran has not received any Su-35 aircraft.
Russia sought Iran's assistance due to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In response to the Kremlin's request, Teheran provided support. However, Iran was solely exploited and received nothing in return.
In the past six months, Iran has supplied Russia with over 300,000 artillery projectiles and approximately one million rounds of ammunition via cargo ships, the Wall Street Journal reported at the end of April.
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