Flight tracking data has revealed that Russia's advanced Tu-214PU airborne command aircraft has been moved to Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport.
The specialised variant of Tupolev Tu-214 passenger airline is the flying command post for the Kremlin, as denoted by the PU designation in its name, the Russian term for a flying control post. Being one of its most advanced airborne command aircraft, it is often described as Russia's 'doomsday' aircraft.
With a cruising speed of 850 kmph and a range of 6,500 km, Tu-214PU is equipped with encrypted communicating systems, secure data links and state-of-the-art facilities to coordinate military operations.
This comes amid ruthless US airstrikes on Iranian military infrastructure as President Donald Trump stated that the ceasefire with Iran was over. Even as the negotiations mediated by Qatar continue, ending the fragile ceasefire has raised the geopolitical uncertainty in region, raising global oil prices.
The move also signifies the growing cooperation between Iran and Russia in the backdrop of the Ukrainian and Middle East crisis.
In fresh rhetoric, US President Donald Trump on Monday said the US would probably take over the Strait of Hormuz. "We're going to keep the strait, and we'll probably run it. We'll become the guardian of the strait. Maybe we'll call it the guardian angel of the strait. And we should be reimbursed for that," he said in a phone interview on Fox News' 'Fox & Friends' show.
The US military's Central Command revealed that its forces struck Iran's air defence systems, radar sites, missile and drone equipment and small boats on Monday.
