ALBAWABA - As war bells ring between Washington and Tehran, Iran is now aiming to enhance its air defenses to avoid experiencing the same consequences that the country faced in the last strike by the United States in June 2025.
According to the Financial Times' Sunday report, Iran secretly inked a €500 million ($589 million) arms deal with Russia to acquire thousands of advanced shoulder-fired missiles with the aim of improving its air defenses that were damaged during the war with Israel.
The newspaper reported, citing leaked Russian documents and several people familiar with the deal, that the secret deal took place last December in the Russian capital of Moscow. The arms deal includes the delivery of 500 man-portable Verba launch units and 2,500 9M336 missiles over three years.
According to documents seen by the Financial Times, Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state arms export agency, is selling the 9M336 missiles at €170,000 ($201,000) per unit and the launch systems at €40,000 ($47,304) each.
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian hold a meeting in Ashgabat on December 12, 2025. (Photo by Alexander KAZAKOV / POOL / AFP)
What is Verba launch unit?
The Verba is a shoulder-fired, infrared-guided air defense system, and it is one of modernest types in Russia. Verba can target cruise missiles, low-flying aircraft, and drones.
The developed defense units can be controlled via a small mobile teams. It further allows forces to create dispersed defenses without relying on fixed radar installations, FT mentioned.
