Social media has been rife with claims that Russia is ready to sell its nuclear weapons to Iran, after the United States (US) bombing of key Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday.

 

Taking to Truth Social on Sunday, US President Donald Trump wrote, “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan,” adding that the military planes were now on their way home.

 

In retaliation, Tehran launched two volleys of 27 missiles, targeting Israel's main Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, research facilities in the city, and command centres, an Iranian state news agency reported on Sunday.

 

After the US attack, which escalated tensions in the Middle East, claims spread on the internet that Moscow was set to sell Tehran its nuclear warheads, provided its strategic partnership with the latter.

 

The confusion stems from the former Russian Prime Minister (PM) and Deputy Chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev's 10-part threads on X (formerly Twitter). In one of his tweets, Medvedev wrote, “A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads.” 

 

 

The tweet was taken out of context to assert that Russia will sell its nuclear warheads to Iran, despite Medvedev’s tweet explicitly indicating that Russia has not named any country nor mentioned its own name. 

 

Hence, the claim of nukes being given to Iran is false and highly improbable.

 

It should be mentioned here that Russia is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and one of recognized nuclear-armed states. The treaty prohibits nuclear- states from transferring nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, or control over such weapons or explosive devices, to any non-nuclear-weapon state. 

 

Transferring nukes would be a catastrophic violation of international law and would have immense, immediate consequences for Russia, including severe global isolation and sanctions far beyond anything they currently face.

 

While Russia is a strong critic of US foreign policy, officially, Russia maintains its commitment to the NPT.

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly stated in the past that Iran has a right to a civilian nuclear energy program; however, he has also emphasized Russia's opposition to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. 

 

Transferring nuclear warheads is an incredibly complex and risky undertaking, requiring immense security, transport, and integration into a delivery system. It would be virtually impossible to keep it secret.