Iran requested new Russian Geran drones for attacks on Israeli, American targets amid war - report

What Happened

The Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing Western security officials and a source close to the Kremlin, that Tehran requested Russia provide Iran with its new-generation Geran drones earlier this year during the Israeli-US war with Iran. According to the report, Iran made the request after substantial improvements to Russia's Geran family: the jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5 have recently entered the Ukraine-Russia war and are more capable of evading defenses than propeller-powered predecessors. The original Geran is based on an Iranian-designed Shahed airframe that Moscow began producing in 2023; the first-generation Geran carries a 20-kilogram warhead at a top speed of 185 kph, while the reported Geran-5 carries a 90-kilogram warhead at up to 600 kph and resembles a cruise missile. Both new models have longer range, thermal vision, AI-powered targeting, Russian anti-jamming antennas, and Chinese mesh radio network modems, according to the Financial Times. The report also cited pro-Kremlin media as saying the Geran-5 can be deployed by Russian Sukhoi-25 fighter jets, aircraft Tehran purchased in 2025. Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in March that Russia supplied Iran with Shahed drones to use against the US and Israel, calling it "100% facts" that Iran has used Russian-made Shaheds to attack US bases. These claims are attributed to Western security officials, a Kremlin-linked source, pro-Kremlin media, and Zelensky; no Iranian or Russian official confirmation was reported.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

If confirmed, a transfer of Russia's jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5 to Iran would materially upgrade Tehran's long-range strike options against US and Israeli targets, with higher speed, larger warheads, and electronic-warfare countermeasures. It would also mark a further tightening of Russia-Iran military-industrial cooperation, reversing the earlier flow of Iranian Shahed technology to Moscow and potentially altering Israeli, US CENTCOM, and Gulf state air-defense planning.

Watch For

Monitor Iranian and Russian official statements or denials concerning the reported request; any evidence of Geran-4 or Geran-5 transfers to Iran through satellite imagery, export documentation, or battlefield use by Iranian forces or allied non-state actors against US or Israeli targets; and Western intelligence assessments or sanctions responses from the US, E3, or Israel.