Iran is likely to seek out Russia and China to purchase advanced weapons systems such as tanks and fighter jets when a United Nations arms embargo against the country expires next year, a senior defense intelligence official said today, amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

In a report released on Tuesday that unveils the Defense Department’s public assessment of Iran’s military capabilities, the Pentagon’s top intelligence agency expressed concern that “modern conventional capabilities” will be available to Tehran when the UN embargo expires in 2020, allowing the country to become “a more traditional military force.

“We see Iran’s goal here as trying to deter attacks on Iran,” the official said at a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday. “With the embargo ending, we expect them to go after [fighter jets] — their current air force is dated — and also main battle tanks.”

UN Security Council Resolution 1929 calls on members of the world body not to transfer those systems, along with armored combat vehicles, large-caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships and missiles. “Given what they currently have in stock, we see them looking at Russia and China,” the official, speaking not for attribution, told reporters.