According to an Iranian state news channel on February 24, Iran is apparently considering selling Khordad-15 SAMs along with electronic warfare suites. The amount is currently unknown as no definitive information has been released. The speculative nature also coincides with the fact that the IRIB News Agency briefly mentioned that few details have been released concerning a recent defense agreement between the two countries. There is no evidence of this agreement on either Iranian or Syrian news outlets besides IRIB itself.
The potential selling of these weapons is likely a response to the recent air strike that occurred on February 19. Syrian officials claim that the strike was carried out by Israel, which adds to a long list of growing attacks between Iran and Israel in recent years. Five people died as a result of the strike and a great deal of damage was done to surrounding buildings. Reuters stated that the strike likely targeted the building as it was being used as a security complex by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces.
Some have speculated that the Iranians are willing to sell Syria the SAMs as a way to ensure that their own soldiers and equipment in Syria are better protected from such attacks, as opposed to actually helping Syria. There may be some credibility to this claim as in January of 2023, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran would be restricting its supply of cheap oil to Syria and that they would no longer be able to purchase Iranian oil on credit. The Iranians demanded that Syria pay upfront for the oil which was doubled from 35 USD per barrel to 70 USD per barrel, hinting at the Iranians dissatisfaction with Syria and their desire to set up self-sustainable troop deployments near Israel.
Some commentators pointed out that it is odd the Iranians would be willing to sell Syria anti-air and electronic warfare devices after clamping down on oil transactions. Though most agree that Iran likely finds the prospective sale agreeable as it could help prevent more air strikes against the IRGC in Syria, especially as Israel promises to be tougher on Iran.
If any information comes to light on this deal or the potential defense agreement, updates will follow.
