Sources monitoring air traffic have recorded a Russian An-124 heavy transport aircraft flying toward Iran in the past 24 hours. They estimate that this is part of the third batch of combat aircraft being delivered to Tehran in preparation for a possible escalation of tensions with Israel, as noted by Western analysts. This information is cited by NZIV.

The flight's trajectory, as tracked by FlightRadar24, ran from the Irkutsk airbase, home to a key Su-30 and Yak-130 assembly plant, to Iranian territory. Satellite imagery shows activity at the adjacent sites, supporting the theory that a fresh batch of fighter jets was being transported.

Experts estimate that the An-124 can accommodate up to six Yak-130s or two Su-30s per flight, which would imply the arrival of four to six aircraft in Iran in recent days, in addition to two previous deliveries from the same location in late September.

The cargo was presumably unloaded at the Hamadan airbase in the west of the country, which is being reconstructed to accommodate the Su-35. This is within the framework of the deal ratified by the Iranian parliament for 48 Su-35s for $6 billion, with phased deliveries from 2026 to 2028.