️ The Iranian government, facing strikes from the US and Israel, had been counting on Moscow's support, but Russia's response has left it deeply disappointed. Just hours after Israeli and US bombs began hitting Iran, Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, called it an "unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent UN member state." This statement represented not the expected assistance for Iran, but merely verbal condemnation.
️ Strategic cooperation between Russia and Iran has deep economic and military roots. As independent expert Nikita Smagin noted, projects like the North-South transport corridor are vital for Russia, especially after it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Additionally, Iran has been supplying Russia with Shahed drones since 2023, significantly impacting the war in Ukraine. However, as Smagin emphasized, this partnership is not ideological but strategic, as both countries are under international sanctions.
️ Experts agree that Russia is unlikely to actively intervene in the US-Israel conflict with Iran. Julian Waller stated that the two countries are not defensive allies, which may be linked to an informal non-attack pact between Russia and Israel. Iranian expert Mojtaba Hashemi noted that Iranian authorities expected "tangible political and military support" from Moscow, including expanded military-technical cooperation and intelligence sharing, but these calculations proved wrong. Chatham House expert Gregoire Roos argued that a prolonged Iran war could have upsides for Moscow, diverting attention from Ukraine and straining US resources.
️ Within Iran itself, there is long-standing skepticism toward Russia. As George Washington University lecturer Mohammad Ghaedi pointed out, former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad once said that "Russia has always sold out the Iranian nation," and President Masoud Pezeshkian after the June 2025 war noted that "countries we considered friends did not help us during the war." Thus, Russia's ambiguous stance is not unexpected for Iranian leadership but reflects enduring issues in their relationship.
Source: www.dw.com