Iran has asked Belarus for assistance in restoring its damaged air defense and electronic warfare systems following the June conflict with Israel, Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service said.
“Unlike Russia, Belarus is less restricted by sanctions in the military-technical sphere and could become a channel for restoring Iran’s defense capabilities,” the intelligence agency said in a statement, according to The Kyiv Independent.
The report said the request was raised during President Masoud Pezeshkian’s recent visit to Minsk, where he met Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
While official discussions focused on trade and investment, Ukrainian intelligence said Tehran sought covert support for defense needs.
“Iran plans to use Belarus as another channel to access sanctioned goods,” the statement said. “For Minsk, this presents the prospect of participating in projects that go far beyond the officially announced topics.”
Both countries are close allies of Moscow. Iran has supplied Russia with drones and missiles used in attacks on Ukraine, while Belarus allowed Russian forces to use its territory to stage operations.
Pezeshkian’s August 20 visit to Belarus highlighted Tehran’s “Look East” strategy of closer alignment with Russia, China and their sanctioned allies.
Iranian state-linked outlets framed the trip as defiance of Western pressure and a “clear message against unilateralism and sanctions.”
Pezeshkian’s August 20 visit to Belarus highlighted Tehran’s “Look East” strategy of closer alignment with Russia, China and their sanctioned allies.
Iranian state-linked outlets framed the trip as defiance of Western pressure and a “clear message against unilateralism and sanctions.”
Belarus, like Iran, is under heavy sanctions and has faced sharp isolation over its support for Moscow in Ukraine.
Iran entered the June war with a fragmented mix of Russian S-300s, Chinese batteries and its own Bavar-373 systems, supported by short-range platforms like Raad, Khordad and Azarkhsh, but with poorly integrated radars.
Israeli strikes on June 13 destroyed or disabled about 120 systems — a third of Iran’s arsenal — including long-range units, aided by Mossad drone attacks inside Iran. For much of the 12-day conflict, Israeli jets, including F-35s, struck targets nationwide with little resistance.
Tehran admits some defenses were damaged but says pre-positioned reserves quickly replaced them.
By August, state media said defenses were rebuilt and “multiple times stronger,” while Western and Israeli sources said radars remain compromised and vulnerable to suppression.
