Did Russia Pressure Iran to Block Indian Arms to Armenia?

Yerevan, Armenia – A cloud of suspicion hangs over Iran's role in potentially obstructing the shipment of Indian howitzer artillery systems to Armenia. This comes as Armenia embarks on a crucial military modernization program following heavy artillery losses in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Former Armenian lawmaker Gayane Abrahamyan's claims that Russia might be pressuring Iran to impede the shipment have sparked concern. While unverified, her allegations highlight the potential influence of geopolitical maneuvers on Armenia's ability to strengthen its defenses.

Adding to the intrigue, analyst Tatul Hakobyan suggests a Russian company initially agreed to supply launch vehicles, possibly linked to the Indian howitzers, but later withdrew, with Iran allegedly stepping in as a replacement.

Iran's ambassador to Armenia, while not directly addressing the howitzer shipment, stressed the importance of a robust Armenian military for regional stability. This ambiguity leaves open the question of whether Iran truly supports the Indian arms deal.

Despite these complexities, India appears committed to fulfilling its agreement with Armenia, with ongoing deliveries reported.

Armenia's Urgent Need for Modernization​

Armenia's military is undergoing a significant transformation, particularly its artillery divisions. This urgency stems from the estimated loss of hundreds of artillery pieces during the 2020 conflict.

To replace these outdated Soviet-era systems, Armenia is turning to India's advanced howitzers – the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) and the Multi-terrain Artillery Gun (MArG).

ATAGS and MArG: Boosting Armenian Firepower​

The ATAGS offers superior firepower and range, while the MArG prioritizes maneuverability on Armenia's challenging terrain due to its wheeled chassis.

In 2023, Armenia signed a significant deal to acquire 72 MArG units and 84 ATAGS units, becoming the sole announced customer for the ATAGS system thus far.

A Geopolitical Chessboard?​

Armenia's pursuit of modern weaponry underscores its commitment to rebuilding its military after the 2020 conflict.

However, the potential involvement of Iran and Russia in the howitzer shipment deal exposes the interplay between international arms deals and complex regional politics.

While the exact nature of Iran's actions remains unclear, the allegations raise questions about the true extent of their support for Armenia's military modernization efforts, particularly in light of Russia's perceived influence.

The incorporation of India's advanced artillery systems promises a significant boost to Armenia's defensive capabilities. Whether these systems will be delivered unimpeded remains to be seen.

 

[charminar_waale_ismail_bhai]

Oh well.
Statemanship is the subtle art of muh mei Ram Ram, bagal mei Churi.

 

[Bharat007]

Of late, Armenia got fed up with Russia and started importing Arms from West too. This is has become torn in the eye of Ruskis. I hope India can iron out this issue of weapons shipment. Russia will definitely won't antagonize India.

 

[Deepak Hegde]

Of late, Armenia got fed up with Russia and started importing Arms from West too. This is has become torn in the eye of Ruskis. I hope India can iron out this issue of weapons shipment. Russia will definitely won't antagonize India.

“Russia will definitely not antagonize India”. - Don’t bet on it ! Putin is well capable of anything !!

 

[shivkumar sinha]

Russia may be going woke and dithering from an all out support to its own CSTO ally Armenia to neutralise security threats from jihadi country of Azerbaijan. Bharat must support Armenia and make them capable to withstand pressure of jihadi conglomerate of Azerbaijan , Turkey and Pakistan.Iran has also its own strategic interest in defending Armenia.

 

[ryan]

Of late, Armenia got fed up with Russia and started importing Arms from West too. This is has become torn in the eye of Ruskis. I hope India can iron out this issue of weapons shipment. Russia will definitely won't antagonize India.

For its own benefits, ruskies will do anything. They have started selling weapons to Bhikharistaan which was unimaginable even a decade ago. Don't confuse Russia with The Soviet Union. The Rise of Indian Defence exports is causing a lot of heartburn all over the world, including in Coronastan, West & Russia

 

[White T POISON]

Russia may be going woke and dithering from an all out support to its own CSTO ally Armenia to neutralise security threats from jihadi country of Azerbaijan. Bharat must support Armenia and make them capable to withstand pressure of jihadi conglomerate of Azerbaijan , Turkey and Pakistan.Iran has also its own strategic interest in defending Armenia.

Don't forget even the Israelis want to screw Armenia. It's a complex issue

 

[Akshat]

Of late, Armenia got fed up with Russia and started importing Arms from West too. This is has become torn in the eye of Ruskis. I hope India can iron out this issue of weapons shipment. Russia will definitely won't antagonize India.

Not antagonize India? 😂😂😂 Putin’s minister literally said that LAC stand off was India’s fault. And he hasn’t been fired till date.

 

[Akshat]

For its own benefits, ruskies will do anything. They have started selling weapons to Bhikharistaan which was unimaginable even a decade ago. Don't confuse Russia with The Soviet Union. The Rise of Indian Defence exports is causing a lot of heartburn all over the world, including in Coronastan, West & Russia

It wasn’t unimaginable a decade back. Russia had signed a deal with China for supply of engines for JF17, which specifically said the engines must go only to Pakistan, well over a decade ago. They also lifted the arms embargo in 2014 or so. That was further sign that now Russia is ready to go all out.

 

[CCPSmasher]

Of late, Armenia got fed up with Russia and started importing Arms from West too. This is has become torn in the eye of Ruskis. I hope India can iron out this issue of weapons shipment. Russia will definitely won't antagonize India.

Putin only cares for himself and his throne. Russia can even go down in h3ll for all that matter if it means for him to stay in power.

 

[Anant]

Iran can say they want a strong Armenia as much as they want, but that would be a lie. For one, Iran is a fundamentalist Islamic state, and they want to spread their influence everywhere. Armenia, on the other hand, is predominantly Christian.

Russia can also have attempted to cause delays in shipments. They aren't happy with Armenia's recent perceived intransigence to the Russian worldview. For very obvious reasons, Moscow has, at best, been apathetic to Armenian concerns over Azerbaijan's and Tharki's designs over Armenia. Also, for very understandable reasons, Armenia wants out of the CSTO. Russia doesn't like that, so theu do everything they can to stop that. If it involves showing Armenia to be weak against Islamic interests in the region them so be it, as far as Moscow is concerned.

 

[Anant]

It wasn’t unimaginable a decade back. Russia had signed a deal with China for supply of engines for JF17, which specifically said the engines must go only to Pakistan, well over a decade ago. They also lifted the arms embargo in 2014 or so. That was further sign that now Russia is ready to go all out.

With India moving towards a broader pro-West and independent stance, Russia needs a junior partner in this part of the world. Bhikaristan is already China's puppet, so what better candidate?

 

[CCPSmasher]

For all the toll claims that Russia is our friend. Finally, reality has dawn upon us. Russia is acting like she's our friend just cuz she got no choice and can't afford to make India enemy. Else China will wh0re them out even harder

 

[मित्र]

Another western propaganda I guess.

 

[sunilanalysis]

Another western propaganda I guess.

could be Armenian pashinyan media propaganda as well..
pashinyan and putin have differences ...

 

[sunilanalysis]

For all the toll claims that Russia is our friend. Finally, reality has dawn upon us. Russia is acting like she's our friend just cuz she got no choice and can't afford to make India enemy. Else China will wh0re them out even harder

There are no permanent friends or enemies in geopolitics...

 

[Sandeep]

There are no permanent friends or enemies in geopolitics...

Then what is NATO? It's a permanent treaty on defence with gives them permanent friends.

 

[Sandeep]

Not true at all because Armenia still have a lot of Russian weapons and technology which will stay in service for decades. They want Indian weapons to give them a advantage over the same Russian weapons that Azerbaijan uses as well. Also any new weapons Armenia get then Russia knows Azerbaijan will want more advanced weapons so Russia stands to gain in both scenarios.

 

[Akshat]

With India moving towards a broader pro-West and independent stance, Russia needs a junior partner in this part of the world. Bhikaristan is already China's puppet, so what better candidate?

Or Russia is a junior partner of China? And China is controlling both?

 

[Mrityunjay Shrivastav]

For its own benefits, ruskies will do anything. They have started selling weapons to Bhikharistaan which was unimaginable even a decade ago. Don't confuse Russia with The Soviet Union. The Rise of Indian Defence exports is causing a lot of heartburn all over the world, including in Coronastan, West & Russia

Soviets also offered both Su-27 and MiG-29 to pakistan but america was selling more capable F-16s at discounted price also various other equipments they forced them not to buy it.

 

[sunilanalysis]

Then what is NATO? It's a permanent treaty on defence with gives them permanent friends.

During covid, USA diverted some ships with medical supplies meant for EU NATO members to itself... Google it... some EU countries at a time wanted to have its own Military alliance outside NATO. Turkey and NATO have differences. In libya, turkish military assets were attacked by egypt and france... Forget that far... Before Ukraine war, putin invite imran to moscow... Dumb putin did not know that ISI calls shots in pak not PM... putin tried to use imran to warn India, though it proved counter productive when pak started supplying shells to ukraine...

 

[Anant]

Or Russia is a junior partner of China? And China is controlling both?

Russia is an equal-ish, albeit slightly junior partner to China. In fact, if I had to draw an analogy, China would be Germany, and Russia would be Japan in the late 1930s. Both extremely powerful in their own right, and while China (Germany) arguably had a slight superiority, the Axis Pact was a pact of equals with Germany (China) and Japan (Russia) being allies with different priorities and a set of grievances between themselves.