Iran Has Learned Firsthand What Putin's Friendship Means
- 1.03.2026, 19:41
The Kremlin did not come to the rescue.
Iran has become another ally of Russia after Syria and Venezuela, which has experienced firsthand that Putin's "friendship" has its limits.
As Politico writes, at crucial moments, the Kremlin's response to the problems of allied countries has been extremely sluggish. For example, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad learned in late 2024 that Russian support did not guarantee his regime's survival when rebel forces stormed Damascus. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been in a U.S. prison since earlier this year, also did not wait for the Kremlin to show up in his hour of need.
"And on February 28, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was assassinated during an assault on Tehran, and now Iran threatens to become yet another example of the discrepancy between the Kremlin's loud declarations in the face of American hegemony and the real world, where that hegemony is increasingly manifesting itself in all its glory," the article notes.
Symbolic support only
Even last summer, during Iran's 12-day war with Israel, which included a massive U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, senior Russian officials also issued statements of condemnation but took no action.
In the months that followed, Moscow tried to minimize the damage. It defended the Islamic regime's right to suppress protests, and in December Russia agreed to provide Tehran with advanced man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems worth 500 million euros. Moscow has also publicly positioned itself as a mediator between the US and Iran:
"But when it came to the decisive moment on Saturday, Moscow's military aid to Tehran was out of the question."
At the same time, Russia is not formally obliged to do so, Politico points out. Although Russia and Iran signed a strategic partnership pact in April 2025, it did not include a mutual defense clause.
What are Moscow's tactics
Russia's inability to intervene in Iran is undoubtedly a blow to the country's reputation on the world stage. But it could also bring some benefits, Politico notes.
Moscow will hope to divert attention away from itself by emphasizing the West's - and especially the United States' - failure to live up to international norms. It is also likely to reinforce the Kremlin's tough stance on Ukraine.
And if U.S.-mediated peace talks in Ukraine fail, Moscow will have its arguments ready.
Fyodr Lukyanov, a Russian foreign policy adviser in the Kremlin, has even suggested that events in Iran show that diplomacy with Trump has been "completely pointless." And Moscow seems to be hoping that it is this message that will reach its remaining allies, rather than its own inaction, Politico notes.