The Financial Times reported on 2026-08-04 that Russia has secretly helped Iran develop advanced supersonic cruise missiles under a program codenamed C430L, which began in 2023 and involved some of Russia's most experienced missile specialists. ^[1] Fabian Hinz, a missile expert and senior analyst at Conflict Armament Research, said Russia is transferring 'military technology of great strategic sensitivity' that Iran has sought for decades, and that such a program would require political authorization from Russia's highest levels. ^[2] The Financial Times reported that the C430L program's primary goal is to help Iran develop a ramjet propulsion system, an engine that allows a cruise missile to sustain flight at several times the speed of sound. ^[3] The missile assistance program was organized by Rosoboronexport, Russia's state arms exporter, which coordinated with NPO Mashinostroyenia, a Russian company sanctioned by the US in 2014; the Financial Times alleges the C430L program is part of a broader pattern of covert technological assistance Iran requested from Russia and China in recent years. ^[4] Russian specialists are focusing on resolving complex challenges associated with ramjet propulsion systems to enable continuous supersonic flight. ^[5] The confidential program, codenamed C430L, began in 2023 and involves Russian engineers advising Tehran on high-speed propulsion engines. ^[6] On 2026-09-01, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for Moscow's position on the war in Iran and resulting sanctions, and said that together, Moscow and Tehran can resist what he called US 'unilateralism.' ^[7] Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at a meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, that Moscow stood in solidarity with the Iranian people and that Russia and Iran will maintain their economic and trade relationship despite the current military and political environment. ^[8]