Iran’s air force has received several Russian training aircraft to “improve its training and combat capabilities,” local media reported on Saturday, AFP reported.

“Several Yak-130 training aircraft entered the country and arrived at the Shahid Babai Air Base in Isfahan,” the Tasnim news agency reported.

The agency, with reference to the public relations department of the army, reported that the arrival of the plane is part of the “arms contracts of the Islamic Republic with the Russian Federation.”

Russia and Iran are subject to international sanctions that restrict trade. Over the past year, they have established close ties in several areas, including military cooperation. In March, Iran announced that it had reached an agreement on the purchase of Su-35 fighter jets from Russia.

Ukraine and many of its Western allies accuse Tehran of supplying Moscow with weapons for its war against Kyiv, which Tehran denies. In May, the US said that Iran and Russia were “expanding their defense partnership”.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Iran had supplied Russia with more than 400 drones since last August. He added that Tehran wants to equip itself with attack helicopters, radars and Russian Yak-130 jets.

Currently, the Iranian Air Force is equipped with Soviet-era Russian MiG and Sukhoi fighters, as well as some Chinese aircraft and some American F-4 and F-5 fighters built before the 1979 Islamic Revolution (Source: Agerpress)