Topline
Just days after announcing a peace deal with the United States, Iranian officials visited Moscow to sign a deal to purchase 20 Russian helicopters for its “logistics and aerial rescue fleet,” Iranian state news wires announced on Wednesday, as the country already begins pursuing business deals with Russia and rebuilding its fleet of aircraft.
The helicopters will be used by Iran’s Red Crescent Society for its “logistics and aerial rescue fleet,” Iranian state news agencies claimed.
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Key Facts
The president of Iran’s Red Crescent Society signed the agreement in Moscow on Wednesday alongside the CEO of Russian Helicopters, Iran’s WANA news wire reported, and the first four aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by March 2027.
Although the helicopters are reportedly for the Red Crescent Society’s fleet, President Donald Trump has frequently boasted about destroying Iran’s air force during the initial strikes against the country that began on Feb. 28.
The U.S. and Iran announced a memorandum of understanding for the peace deal on Sunday, with a formal signing in Switzerland scheduled for Friday—but the exact terms laid out have not been released to the public as of Wednesday morning.
What to Watch For
The actual text of the peace deal has not been released, but U.S. officials have been circulating it to other leaders at the ongoing G7 conference in France, both Reuters and Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. The deal would reportedly set up a $300 billion fund for economic development in Iran, although Trump has dismissed the idea that the U.S. government would be providing cash for the project. The deal would also open a 60-day window for the two sides to continue negotiations on the future of Iran’s nuclear program—something Trump has repeatedly insisted Iran must give up entirely.
Contra
Speaking earlier at the G7 conference, Trump said the agreed upon deal was not final. “It’s a memorandum of understanding and if I don’t like it, we’ll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs on their head [sic],” Trump told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday. “If they don’t behave, we’ll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head,” he repeated, “because they’ve misbehaved for 47 years.”
Key Background
Iran has long maintained a strategic partnership with Russia, another U.S. adversary, including supporting the country’s war against Ukraine despite widespread international backlash. On Tuesday, Abdolnaser Hemmati, the governor of Iran’s central bank, also visited Russia as part of a delegation to ““facilitate monetary exchanges,” Al Jazeera reported citing Iranian state news wires. Both nations face severe economic sanctions from the U.S. and European Union.
