Iran signs secret €500M Verba air defense deal with Russia as U.S.–Iran nuclear talks intensify.

Iran finalized a secret €500 million arms agreement with Russia for the acquisition of 500 9K333 Verba man-portable air defense launchers and 2,500 9M336 surface-to-air missiles, marking one of the largest recent military contracts between the two countries.

On February 22, 2026, the Financial Times revealed that Iran finalized a secret €500 million agreement with Russia’s Rosoboronexport for 500 9K333 Verba MANPADS launchers, 2,500 9M336 surface-to-air missiles, and associated night vision equipment. The contract was reportedly signed in Moscow in December 2025 and foresees deliveries between 2027 and 2029, although a smaller number of systems may have been transferred earlier. The purchase follows recent U.S.–Israel strikes, heightened U.S. military buildup in the Middle East, and ongoing U.S.–Iran nuclear negotiations.
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The Russian-made 9K333 Verba MANPADS is a shoulder-fired air defense system designed to engage aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and UAVs at ranges of 500 m to 6–6.5 km and altitudes up to 4.5 km, with reaction time under 8 seconds and average speeds exceeding 600 m/s. (Picture source: Russian MoD)

Iran reportedly finalized a secret €500 million arms agreement with Russia for the acquisition of 500 9K333 Verba man-portable air defense launchers and 2,500 9M336 missiles, marking one of the largest recent military contracts between the two countries. The agreement was signed in Moscow in December and provides for deliveries in three tranches between 2027 and 2029, with the total contract value cited between €495 million and €500 million, depending on calculation methods. Unit pricing cited for the transaction indicates €170,000 per 9M336 missile and €40,000 per launcher, and the package also includes 500 Mowgli-2 night-vision sights intended to support target tracking in low-visibility conditions.

Tehran formally requested the systems in July, shortly after the end of a 12-day conflict in which United States forces joined Israeli strikes on three key Iranian nuclear facilities, during which Iran’s integrated air defense network was heavily degraded, and large portions of its airspace were exposed to sustained air operations. The timing of the purchase follows the June conflict in which Israel rapidly established and maintained air superiority over significant parts of Iran after degrading radar sites, command nodes, and air defense assets. The acquisition of a large number of shoulder-fired systems reflects an effort to rebuild a dispersed, low-altitude defensive layer that does not depend on fixed radar installations vulnerable to precision strikes.

The Verba is a shoulder-fired, man-portable air defense system (MANPADS) capable of engaging U.S. cruise missiles, low-flying aircraft, and drones, and it is designed to be operated by small mobile teams that can establish dispersed air defense coverage without relying on fixed radar installations. The disclosure also coincides with an increased U.S. military buildup in the Middle East and renewed pressure by President Donald Trump on Tehran, accompanied by warnings that Tehran could face strikes unless it accepts new limits on its nuclear program. The agreement was concluded between Rosoboronexport and the Moscow office of Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, known as MODAFL, with Ruhollah Katebi identified as the official involved in arranging the contract.

Katebi previously played a role in facilitating Iran’s transfer of hundreds of Fath-360 close-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine and was sanctioned by the United States in 2024 for acting on behalf of MODAFL, with the United States Treasury identifying him as a key point of contact between the Russian government and Iran’s defense ministry. In parallel with the contract, multiple cargo flights were observed between Mineralnye Vody in Russia and the Iranian city of Karaj, including at least three recent rotations by an Ilyushin Il-76TD and an additional flight in late December. Iran was also reported to have received up to six Russian Mi-28 attack helicopters in January and to have operated one over Tehran during the same month, as well as two squadrons of Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, although officials in Tehran have complained about delays in fulfilling that order. 

The acquisition of 500 Verba launchers and 2,500 9M336 missiles is structured to be delivered over three years, although it was indicated by the Financial Times that a smaller number of systems may have been transferred earlier. Available assessments indicate that the Verba units provide Russia with a way to reinforce Iran’s air defenses without materially reducing its own inventory. Even if some units have already been delivered and deployed, it was stated that they are unlikely to fundamentally change Iran’s overall defensive posture in a near-future conflict with Israel or the United States. However, the systems could increase risks for helicopter assaults and low-flying aircraft operations, given that man-portable launchers can be positioned unpredictably and used by small, highly mobile teams to inflict damage, as seen in Ukraine.

Therefore, Russia’s willingness to proceed with the Verba sale was characterized as signaling no intention to observe potential UN snapback sanctions related to Iran. The 9K333 Verba, NATO reporting name SA-29 Gizmo, entered Russian service in 2014 and was officially adopted in 2015 as a successor to the 9K338 Igla-S. Developed by KB Mashinostroyeniya in Kolomna and produced with participation from Zavod imeni Degtyarev, the system completed state trials in 2011 and moved into serial production from 2012 onward, with deliveries to Russian ground forces and airborne units beginning in 2014. Armenia has been identified as an export operator, and Verba systems have been deployed by Russian forces in Syria and used during the war in Ukraine.

The system is designed to engage fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles on head-on and receding courses, including targets with relatively low infrared signatures. The 9M336 missile used by the Verba system has a diameter of 72 mm and a total system weight, including the 9P521 gripstock launcher, of 17.25 kg. It is equipped with a three-channel passive optical seeker operating in ultraviolet, near-infrared, and mid-infrared spectral ranges, enabling cross-verification of target signatures and improved discrimination against decoys such as flares. Engagement range is cited between 500 m and 6.0 km to 6.5 km, with an engagement ceiling between 3.5 km and 4.5 km depending on configuration, and a minimum engagement altitude of 10 m.

The warhead is a high-explosive fragmentation type with contact and proximity fusing, with cited weights of 1.5 kg in several specifications and some references indicating up to 2.5 kg. Propulsion is provided by a single-stage solid propellant rocket motor combined with an ejection motor, enabling average speeds exceeding 600 m/s in some performance figures and engagement of targets traveling up to 400 m/s on approaching courses and 320 m/s on receding courses. Reaction time is cited at up to 8 seconds, and transfer from travel to combat configuration requires no more than 12 seconds, with launch readiness from power-on in no more than 5 seconds.

The system can operate in temperatures from -50°C to +50°C and can be integrated with identification friend or foe equipment. The Mowgli-2M thermal sight operates in the 8 to 12 µm spectral band, has a 320×240 bolometric matrix, a 24-degree field of view, and a mass not exceeding 1.5 kg, supporting night engagements and extended readiness. Beyond shoulder-fired use, the 9M336 missile can be integrated into ground- and sea-based short-range air defense configurations and mounted on vehicles such as the Gibka-S system based on the Tigr chassis, which can carry eight missiles with four positioned on a launcher.

The 1L122 Garmon radar provides detection ranges up to 40 km in one configuration and up to 80 km in another, with target tracking updates between 2 and 10 seconds depending on antenna rotation speed, and accuracy cited at up to 100 m in range with defined azimuth and elevation precision. The system can be linked with the 9S933 portable fire-control module and the Barnaul-T command architecture, enabling automated target distribution and coordination of engagements across multiple teams, with the 9S933 capable of supporting simultaneous fire-control solutions for up to 15 targets. Iran already operates up to four S-300PMU2 divisions and up to 29 Tor launchers, and the addition of Verba units would expand low-altitude coverage without replacing long-range or medium-range systems, reinforcing a layered air defense structure rather than fundamentally altering strategic balance.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.