Iran's Military Says Russian Su-35 Fighters Have Been Bought and Will Be Delivered After the War

Tehran — Iranian military spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia has said Iran has purchased Russian Su-35 fighter jets and plans to take delivery of them after the war ends, in a joint interview with the Iranian outlets Tabnak and BitRun. Video of the interview was released on the evening of October 31.

Akraminia said the purchase was completed before the conflict with the United States and Israel began, that the jets had originally been due for delivery before the fighting, and that pilot training and all other preparations were complete; if all goes well, he said, Iran will certainly receive the aircraft after the war. He gave no number of aircraft or delivery date, and the claim has not been confirmed by Russia.

He added that bringing modern fighters including the Su-35 into service is part of the Iranian armed forces' strategic planning, and that Iran's air force will emerge stronger once the conflict ends.

Reports of an Iranian Su-35 purchase have circulated for years. In November 2023, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that Iran had finalized purchases of Russian equipment including Mi-28 attack helicopters, Su-35 fighters and Yak-130 trainers, which Russia did not confirm at the time. In January 2025, senior Iranian commander Ali Shadmani gave the first official confirmation of a Su-35 purchase, likewise without disclosing numbers or a delivery timetable.

Source: Iranian Armed Forces

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：俄罗斯苏-35S战斗机（资料图）。照片：Julian Herzog，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: A Russian Su-35S fighter jet (file photo). Photo by Julian Herzog, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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