Russian military transport aircraft have begun making regular flights to Tehran amid mass protests in Iran that have continued since late December and pose a threat to the current regime, the specialized outlet Air Cargo Week reports.
According to the publication, between December 27, 2025, and January 1, 2026, Il-76TD aircraft operating under civilian cover made repeated trips to Tehran, charting routes that bypass NATO-controlled airspace. Journalists note this does not appear to be a series of ad hoc charter flights but a targeted logistics operation, citing the repeated use of the same aircraft and a clear prioritization of speed over cost efficiency.
Reporters suggest Russia may be providing Iran with military-technical support and preparing for a possible scenario involving the evacuation of the country’s top leadership, potentially including the removal of gold. The outlet assesses that Moscow played a similar role during the flight of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Mass protests in Iran erupted on December 28 after the rial plunged to a record low and amid a deteriorating socio-economic situation.
Around the same time, reports emerged that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei might be preparing to flee to Russia. UK Member of Parliament Tom Tugendhat said there were indications that significant quantities of gold were being flown out of the country on Russian aircraft.
“We are seeing Russian cargo planes arriving in Tehran, likely with weapons and ammunition, and we are also hearing reports of large amounts of gold being taken out of Iran,” he said.
Bashar al-Assad also reportedly fled to Moscow with a cargo of gold after Putin failed in late 2024 to protect him from an armed opposition uprising.
Protests that began in late 2025 over an economic crisis, inflation of about 50% and the devaluation of the national currency have evolved into political demonstrations demanding the resignation of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. According to available information, demonstrations have spread to 27 of the country’s 31 provinces.
According to the Human Rights News Agency, at least 42 people have been killed since the protests began, and around 2,200 demonstrators have been arrested.
On January 7, Fox News, citing the National Council of Resistance of Iran, reported that two cities - Abdanan and Malekshahi - had come under the control of protesters.
