Earlier this month, a senior US official disclosed that Iranian pilots trained in Russia to fly Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E multirole jets and suggested that Iran might begin receiving these fighters within the following year.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on December 9, cited US intelligence assessments to level allegations against Russia of offering Iran “an unprecedented level of military and technical support that is transforming their relationship into a full-fledged defense partnership.”

According to Kirby, Russia and Iran are considering setting up a drone assembly line in Russia to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, while Russia trained Iranian pilots on the Su-35 fighters.

“These fighter planes will significantly strengthen Iran’s air force relative to its regional neighbors,” Kirby said.

The recent revelation by Kirby follows an announcement by the commander of the Iranian Air Force (IRIAF) in September that the IRIAF plans to acquire Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, shortly after reports started emerging of hundreds of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) arriving in Russia.

“This issue is on the agenda, and we hope to be able to get these 4++ generation fighters in the future,” Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi, commander of the IRIAF, told Borna news agency on September 4.

There were speculations last year that the Su-35Es initially produced for Egypt could be sold to Iran, as the deal with Egypt tanked after the US…