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Russia played a larger role in the Iran war than previously revealed, with internal defense industry documents revealing how Moscow built up the country’s arsenal before its conflict with the United States.
A Russian contract is linked to 90 precision-guided missile launchers destined for Tehran, according to documents obtained and published by the Ukrainian defense intelligence research group Dallas Analytics, offering new details about the extent of Moscow’s military support for Iran before the war broke out.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly downplayed Russia’s role in the conflict – as recently as last month saying he did not believe Russia was helping Iran “at all.”
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In this image released on July 4, 2026, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev shakes hands with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and beside him are Iranian Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a ceremony for the remains of Ayatollah Khamenei and his family at the Grand Mosque of Imam Khomeini on July 3, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. (Meghdad MadadiATPImages/Getty Images)
Russian production records show that components have been allocated to 90 APU-L dual-rail launchers under a contract identified as “K-10”, with shipments within the Russian production line planned from late 2024 to December 2025.
Other internal Russian documents obtained by Dallas Analytics explicitly identify “K-10” as Iran. An October 2022 supply request for equipment for a Yak-130 aircraft lists the recipient as “K10 Iran” and was countersigned by the acting head of the 704th military representation of the Russian Defense Ministry.
The K-10 designation can also be attributed to Russian military hardware that eventually reached Iran. An internal Russian production schedule listed six Yak-130 aircraft for a recipient identified as K-10. Iranian state media later showed the plane entered service in September 2023, and Dallas Analytics said the tail number of an Iranian Yak-130 matched the number listed for the K-10 in Russian factory records.
The APU-L launchers are designed to carry the Russian LMUR, a precision-guided missile also known as Product 305 or Kh-39. The approximately 230-pound missile carries a 55-pound warhead and can be guided in flight by an operator using an electro-optical seeker and a two-way radio link.
A missile is launched during an air defense exercise at an undisclosed location in Iran, in an image distributed on January 12, 2025. (Iranian Army/West Asia News Agency/Reuters)
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Iran had already publicly announced its intention to acquire Russian Mi-28 attack helicopters, one of the platforms capable of carrying this weapon. The first Mi-28NE helicopters for export were photographed in Iran in January 2026.
The documents also show the involvement of the Russian Defense Ministry. A May 2024 letter accompanying the K-10 production schedule was co-signed by the head of the ministry’s 123rd military representation.
The documents do not establish whether the completed launchers ultimately reached Iran, although Dallas Analytics told Fox News Digital that the contract itself is “very strong evidence” of the transfer.
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The findings add new details to a military relationship that the Trump administration repeatedly downplayed during the war. U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Russia has provided Iran with information on the location of U.S. military assets and, more recently, satellite images and weapons components, according to reports.
But administration officials said that support has not materially affected the U.S. campaign.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Russian aid did not hinder U.S. military operations, while War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States was tracking Moscow’s support and factoring it into its battle plans.
The remains of a Russian-made, Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drone, known in Russia as the Geran-2, are on display along with other recovered drones, glide bombs, missiles and rockets in Kharkiv on July 30, 2025. (Scott Peterson/Getty Images)
The Trump administration has also sought to disrupt Iranian arms purchases abroad as Tehran works to rebuild its military capabilities.
The Treasury Department has targeted networks that it says have helped Iran seek weapons and components abroad, including efforts to acquire Chinese-made man-portable air defense systems.
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Just this week, the State Department sanctioned a Russia-based individual it said was involved in efforts to help Iran procure Chinese-made man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House, State Department and War Department for comment.
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