Catch up on stories from the past week (and beyond) at the Slashdot story archive

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Technology

Russia Supplies Iran With Cyber Weapons as Military Cooperation Grows (wsj.com) 50

Russia is helping Iran gain advanced digital-surveillance capabilities as Tehran seeks deeper cooperation on cyberwarfare, WSJ reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter said, adding another layer to a burgeoning military alliance that the U.S. sees as a threat. From the report: The potential for cyberwarfare collaboration comes after Iran has, according to U.S. and Iranian officials, sold Russia drones for use in Ukraine, agreed to provide short-range missiles to Moscow and shipped tank and artillery rounds to the battlefield. Tehran is seeking the cyber help along with what U.S. and Iranian officials have said are requests for dozens of elite Russian attack helicopters and jet fighters and aid with its long-range missile program.

Russia and Iran both have sophisticated cyber capabilities and have long collaborated with each other, signing a cyber-cooperation agreement two years ago that analysts said focused mostly on cyber-defense networks. Moscow has long resisted sharing digital-offensive capabilities with Iran in the past, for fear they will end up being sold later on the dark web, the people said. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia has provided Iran with communication-surveillance capabilities as well as eavesdropping devices, advanced photography devices and lie detectors, people familiar with the matter said. Moscow has likely already shared with Iran more advanced software that would allow it to hack the phones and systems of dissidents and adversaries, the people said. Russian authorities have determined that the benefits of advancing the military relationship with Iran outweigh any downsides, the people said.

This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Russia Supplies Iran With Cyber Weapons as Military Cooperation Grows

Comments Filter:
  • by lsllll ( 830002 ) on Tuesday March 28, 2023 @04:09PM (#63406976)
    The U.S. had the opportunity with JCPOA to reignite its relationship with Iran. Instead Trump came and drove Iran further away and Biden hasn't done anything to reverse that trend, either. What's Iran to do? Russia seized the opportunity on this. Let's face it. The U.S. plan to destabilize the Iranian regime has just not worked, and there's no chance of an invasion, either. The sanctions are hurting the Iranian people the most, as the government keeps printing money and the inflation has gone through the roof. The protests have had only mild to no success, unlike the protests back in 1978 (I was there) which kept a large momentum and resulted in Shah leaving and Khomeini coming in and then the revolution. The U.S. has played its cards really badly on Iran under both administrations.
    • It goes back even further. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik... [wikipedia.org]

    • The US also did nothing to help the Iranian people when they were asking for the US to help during the Arab spring.Basically it's been one eff up after another in regards to Iran ever since the UK asked Eisenhower to overthrow their elections.

      The JCPoA was a joke as well.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by 1s44c ( 552956 )

      It's amazing how the US screwed up monumentally on Iran. First they overthrow a peaceful leader and install a theocracy. Then they keep alienating that theocracy and strong arm the whole western world to not deal with them. Then they drop some of their best drone technology on Iran. Then they act surprised when Iran duplicates the technology that literally fell out of their own sky and sells it to one of the only countries that will trade with them.

      • by gtall ( 79522 )

        Nice way to ignore the Muslim civil war between the Sunnis and Shi'ites in your white washing the theocracy, which the U.S. did not install. The Iranians did that all by themselves. No one was threatening Iran before they decided they had to go nuclear.

        • by _merlin ( 160982 )

          No one was threatening Iran before they decided they had to go nuclear.

          The US has been threatening Iran every since they overthrew the government installed by the CIA. Israel has been threatening Iran as long as the two countries have existed. They're going nuclear as a response to the constant threats.

          • You're blaming Israel for the shit Iran started? Israel didn't make Iran involve itself with the PLO and Hezbollah. Iran decided to do so because they already hated Israel.
            • by _merlin ( 160982 )

              Iran started? So everyone's supposed to sit idly by while Israel bulldozes Palestinians' homes to make way for their illegal settlements? Why do you unquestioningly support an ethnostate pursuing apartheid policy?

      • The US didn't install the Ayatollahs. The Ayatollahs alienated the Western world, because their fundamental worldview is rooted in opposition to it. Then they began to wage war against it and other nations in the region. Nobody made them give rockets to Hezbollah with which to murder Jews. Nobody made them hijack planes and cruise ships. Nobody forced them to start a proxy war in Yemen, or kidnap diplomats, or mine the Gulf. They chose to do these things, and they continue to put waging religious wars
    • The U.S. had the opportunity with JCPOA to reignite its relationship with Iran. Instead Trump came and drove Iran further away and Biden hasn't done anything to reverse that trend, either. What's Iran to do? Russia seized the opportunity on this. Let's face it. The U.S. plan to destabilize the Iranian regime has just not worked, and there's no chance of an invasion, either. The sanctions are hurting the Iranian people the most, as the government keeps printing money and the inflation has gone through the roof. The protests have had only mild to no success, unlike the protests back in 1978 (I was there) which kept a large momentum and resulted in Shah leaving and Khomeini coming in and then the revolution. The U.S. has played its cards really badly on Iran under both administrations.

      The USA should just go and organise another coup in Iran! Thats kind of Americas specialty in geopolitics, I don't think any other country in the world is as good as fomenting rebellion, coups, overthrows of governments etc as the USA. The Soviet Union used to try but was no match for the USA. And China is just pathetic, only 3 countries where they have tried to instigate coups etc. Pffft America is number one at interfering with other countries internal affairs!

      This sure is a great way for the USA to win f

      • by Anonymous Coward

        The USA should just go and organise another coup in Iran! Thats kind of Americas specialty in geopolitics, I don't think any other country in the world is as good as fomenting rebellion, coups, overthrows of governments etc as the USA.

        They're very good at kicking the apple cart over. Not so good at keeping the resulting mess from backfiring. And all the death and destruction they've caused or merely set off... I think we'll need to add those to their tally too.

        This sure is a great way for the USA to win friends and build positive relationships around the world. Keep it up! The world loves you! Yeah!

        For some reason the USA does keep up that belief. They're a bit lonely in that church, though. But if they shout loudly enough, maybe they won't notice it themselves so much.

      • The USA is built on a backbone of military-industrial cooperation with the government. Government actions causing rebellion, coups, overthrows, bombing, gunning, fighting leads to more weapons sales leads to happy government contractors. Ergo = more rebellion is more gooder.

        Profit before all. Profit is god. You shall have no other.

        • by gtall ( 79522 )

          "The USA is built on a backbone of military-industrial cooperation with the government."

          Only if you ignore history. Up until WWII, the U.S. was isolationist. We saw what the result of that was.You somehow think we'd live in a bunny world if the U.S. wasn't supplying weapons. Go look at that the weapons and the types of regimes the Russians are supporting. Their behavior in Ukraine speaks volumes. Now the conservatives are getting isolationist again. Surely China, Russia, Iran, N. Korea, etc. will let everyo

          • > Up until WWII, the U.S. was isolationist. We saw what the result of that was.

            Our options aren't "Government actions causing rebellion, coups, overthrows, bombing ..." or isolationism.

            > You won't swing a $22 trillion economy around with $225 billion.

            Military related industry's search for profit is one thing that has a bad influence on policy, nightflameauto might be over emphasizing it but he's right on that.

      • Russia is easily this decade's leader in organizing coups:

        2022-02-01 Coup attempt Guinea-Bissau
        2022-01-24 Successful coup Burkina Faso
        2021-10-25 Successful coup Sudan (after failure on 2021-09-21)
        2021-09-05 Successful coup Guinea
        2021-05-24 Successful coup Mali
        • Russia is easily this decade's leader in organizing coups:

          2022-02-01 Coup attempt Guinea-Bissau
          2022-01-24 Successful coup Burkina Faso
          2021-10-25 Successful coup Sudan (after failure on 2021-09-21)
          2021-09-05 Successful coup Guinea
          2021-05-24 Successful coup Mali

          My goodness, USA! You have some catching up to do! Russia is making you look bad!

      • So, you're saying you're too young or too naive to accurately remember the Cold War? The USSR excelled at everything you just said they stunk at. If they hadn't, they would have collapsed back in the 70's.
        • So, you're saying you're too young or too naive to accurately remember the Cold War? The USSR excelled at everything you just said they stunk at. If they hadn't, they would have collapsed back in the 70's.

          Sure. Heres a list of coups d'etat, overthrows or annexations by the Soviet Union:

          1919 Hungary Karolyi Mihaly Lenin Success
          1921 Mongolia De Facto Ruler Lenin Success
          1924 Turkmenistan Fayzulla Khodzhayev Lenin Success
          1929 Afghanistan Habibullah Kalakani Stalin Success
          1940 Lithuania Antanas Smetona Stalin Failure
          1940 Latvia Krlis Ulmanis Stalin Success
          1940 Estonia Konstantin Päts Stalin Success
          1948 Czechoslovakia Fo

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • and his political party. Put the blame where it belongs. Stop voting Republican.

      Whether through incompetence or malice or both they have no idea what they're doing. For the same reason the economy does better, factually, under Democrats foreign policy goes better under Democrats.

      At some point you have to just face facts. The modern Republican party is bad for America. Mod me down all you want, it won't make it any less true. And we need to get over our kneejerk reaction to "bothsidesing". It's letti
      • While I will agree with your conclusion, I'd hardly say the Republicans are completely to blame for the constant shit-stirring our country does in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. It's amazing how rarely we get reminded how many actions take place under Democrat leadership, but Obama's sad self-assessment about being "really good at killing people" was about as public as you ever get from that party.

        We're Americans. We still, somehow, have ourselves convinced that we're the school bully on the world stag

        • that was kind of my point. Whatever Obama's faults are they pale in comparison to the GOP. Who started all those wars? Do you really think we'd have started blowing up randos like we did if Gore had been in office?

          We're not the good guy because of the political choices we make. The votes we make. We put these guys in charge. And we're putting substantially *worse* guys in charge. It's like comparing a smashed up candy bar to a dog turd. You don't say "There's no difference, they're both bad for you". On
          • Democrats SUCK at running things. Just because they suck slightly less than the Republicans, it doesn't make them good at the job. The choice between the two majors is like choosing whether you want repeatedly kicked in the nuts, or repeatedly punched in the throat. And whining about "both siding" to anyone with enough brain cells to realize it is definitely part of the ongoing problem.

            The Democrats do themselves zero favors by going out of their way to NOT get things done in the name of cooperation with "t

          • by DarkOx ( 621550 )

            Who started all those wars?

            The Saudis, the Taliban, and some others by allowing their populations to make war on ours.

            Do you really think we'd have started blowing up randos like we did if Gore had been in office?

            Yes I do think so. I think the history of America in general and liberal leadership reaching all the way to Woodrow Wilson pretty much makes that CERTAIN. In fact I strongly suspect the response would have been actually been more aggressive, less targeted, more expansive in proposed "objectives" because of Democrats precieved weaker stance on defense in the post war era. Less speculatively the AUMF was introduced

    • Correction: This is some of the US's doing, but not all. Everyone gets to party in this jacuzzi.

      IOW: We in the West know our fucking history because we actually teach that shit over here. Amazing concept, I know.

      whataboutthatshit

    • "Reignite" our relationship with a government that hates us and is actively waging proxy wars against us and our allies? Absurd.

      Being nice to your enemies just gives them the opportunity to take advantage of what they will rightly perceive as weakness. History is consistent on this.

      The Ayatollahs are fundamentally opposed to Western civilization and there is no possibility of changing that with diplomatic outreach. The only effective means of dealing with them, non-militarily, is to completely cut t

  • Been listening to Iranian and Russian rhetoric for decades and I have grown tired of it.

    We need to cycle through some of our older arms anyway.

Arithmetic is being able to count up to twenty without taking off your shoes. -- Mickey Mouse

Working...