Sergei Satanovskii
DW, June 17, 2025
“The Kremlin is acting according to an old Quranic principle: ‘Fight and wage war, but do not transgress … In other words, Moscow, which has its interests and presence in the Middle East, would prefer to avoid any kind of uncontrollable chaos in the region.”
Since Israel began its recent attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been in touch with world leaders about the conflict.
Right after the start of Israel’s attacks last Friday, Putin spoke with both the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Kremlin said.
In a statement on the Kremlin’s website, the Russian leader “expressed his condolences to the leadership and people of Iran over the numerous human casualties” and “emphasized that Russia condemns Israel’s actions, which were carried out in violation of the UN Charter and international law.”
The next day, Putin once again condemned Israel’s operation during a phone call with US President Donald Trump, a staunch supporter of Netanyahu.
Yet despite Russia’s deepening alliance with Iran, the Kremlin is unlikely to provide military aid to its strategic partner.
Moscow’s golden deal with Tehran
Given the economic ties between Russia and Iran, Putin’s rebuke of Israel for attacking the Islamic Republic does not come as a surprise.
Iran has long been a close partner of Russia, not least because Western democracies heavily sanction both countries. Iran also recently joined BRICS, a group of non-Western nations with emerging economies that Russia helped to found.
Their relationship grew even closer after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Western allies accused Iran of supplying Russia with military drones, which were eventually used to attack Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure as well. According to media reports, Moscow may have paid for the drones with at least 1.8 tons of gold bars, worth around $104 million, transferred to the Iranian company Sahara Thunder. Iran may also have asked Russia to help it realize its nuclear program.
Analysts believe Moscow wouldn’t want to lose such a reliable partner. ….SOURCE