The Drivers of and Outlook for Russian Iranian Cooperation

Abstract

The ongoing war in Ukraine has shed new light on the strategic partnership between Russia and Iran. Although the countries close relationship predated Russia's renewed invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the conflict has spurred greater defense and economic cooperation and raised new questions about their ability to surmount tensions within what remains an unequal partnership. Long the junior partner in this relationship, Iran has assumed a new role as a key military supplier to Russia, providing hundreds of unmanned aerial systems (UASs) and reportedly considering a Russian request to purchase Iranian made surface-to-surface ballistic missiles. This Perspective documents research and analysis undertaken to inform U.S. Army strategic planning and the decisions of defense leaders by identifying potential drivers and limitations on defense cooperation between Russia and Iran.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2023
Accession Number
AD1212430

Entities

People

  • Alexandra Evans
  • Michelle Grise

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Air Defense
  • Aircraft Industry
  • Aircrafts
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Commerce
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of State
  • Economic Sanctions
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Fixed Wing Aircraft
  • Foreign Policy
  • Foreign Relations
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • Middle East
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • New York
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Public Financial Management and Budgeting

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy