Key Points and Summary – In the aftermath of devastating US and Israeli strikes, Iran is vowing to dramatically expand and strengthen its military, with one general claiming it has supplies to “wage war for 10 years.”
-The Iranian parliament is advancing a new bill to increase military spending. To rebuild, Tehran is looking abroad for advanced weaponry.
-An IRGC commander confirmed the purchase of Russian Su-35 fighter jets earlier this year, and a recent German intelligence report warns that Iran’s illicit efforts to procure missile technology from Europe are “high – and on the rise.”
Iran Is Strengthening Its Military – But How?
With Iranian officials adamant that the country’s nuclear program will not come grinding to a halt, Tehran is now reportedly planning to dramatically expand its military. Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, Iran’s Deputy Chief of Staff, confirmed that the regime is prepared to defend itself in a decade-long war if necessary.
“We have enough supplies to wage war for 10 years if necessary,” Ashtiani claimed.
The comments come as Iranian lawmakers advance a bill aimed at strengthening Iran’s Armed Forces ahead of expected military confrontations with Israel.
On Sunday, the Iranian Parliament’s Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy approved a general outline of legislation that would increase military spending. The bill, which was sponsored by Tehran representative Ali Khezrian, has the backing of 120 lawmakers and is expected to pass.
Iranian outlet Press TV reported that the bill was endorsed “during a meeting attended by officials from the Defense Ministry, the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Army, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).”
Where Will Iran Get the Weapons?
In order for Iran to strengthen its military, however, it needs more than just a way to pay for it; it needs countries willing to supply the weapons. While Iran remains largely isolated in the wake of last month’s American strikes on its nuclear facilities, a Reuters report from January 2025 claimed that Russia sold Iran an unconfirmed number of Sukhoi-35 fighter jets.
“Iran has purchased Russian-made Sukhoi-35 fighter jets, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander said on Monday, amid Western concerns about Tehran and Moscow’s growing military cooperation,” the outlet claimed. “This is the first time an Iranian official has confirmed the purchase of Su-35 jets. However, Ali Shadmani, who was quoted by the Student News Network, did not clarify how many jets were purchased and whether they had already been delivered to Iran.”
Missiles from Europe?
German intelligence also suggests that Iranian efforts to acquire missile technology from Europe surged in 2024, and is also likely ongoing.
In early June, Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), an agency comparable to the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation, claimed that Iran continues to pursue “one of the most extensive missile programs in the Middle East.”
“Procurement activities in Germany in the area of Iranian missile technology/missile programs remain high – and are on the rise,” the agency also said in a new report.
Efforts to obtain military technology from Europe and elsewhere appear to have been successful so far, too. In September 2023, reports revealed how Iranian kamikaze drones used by Russian forces in Ukraine contained more than 50 electrical Western components imported via third countries.
If Iran is capable of strengthening its military to such an extent that it can fend off future strikes from Israel and the United States, all in the name of rebuilding its nuclear program, then it will likely be done through these means.
Just how quickly Iran can purchase modern aircraft in sufficient quantities to fend off new assaults – and build or import modern air defense systems that can intercept missiles – is still uncertain.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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