Iran turns to Russia for support after major US military assault

On June 23, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dispatched Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi to Moscow to request additional support from Russian President Vladimir Putin following the most significant US military strike on Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli leaders have openly discussed the idea of assassinating Khamenei and pursuing regime change - scenarios that Moscow fears could plunge the Middle East into chaos, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

While President Putin has spoken out against Israel’s airstrikes, he has not yet addressed the US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. However, last week, he called for restraint and offered Russia’s services as a mediator in the ongoing nuclear dispute.

A senior official said that Araqchi was scheduled to deliver a letter from Khamenei to Putin, appealing for increased Russian backing. Tehran has found Moscow’s support lacking so far and is pressing the Kremlin to adopt a stronger stance against both Israel and the US. The sources did not detail the type of assistance Iran is requesting. The Kremlin confirmed that President Putin would meet with Araqchi, though it declined to reveal what the meeting would cover. 

“Iran and Russia were coordinating their positions on the current escalation in the Middle East,” Araqchi said.

Putin has consistently expressed readiness to act as a mediator between Tehran and Washington. He also said Russia had presented its ideas for resolving the crisis while ensuring that Iran retains access to peaceful nuclear technology. Last week, the Russian leader declined to comment on whether Israel or the US might attempt to assassinate Khamenei. 

Putin noted that Israel had assured Moscow that Russian experts working on the construction of two additional reactors at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant would not be harmed in any airstrikes. Russia, a long-time ally of Iran, plays an important role in nuclear negotiations with Western powers, both as a UN Security Council member with veto power and as a signatory to the 2015 nuclear deal that Trump exited in 2018 during his first term in office.

Still, as Russian forces remain locked in a prolonged war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year, Putin has so far avoided openly escalating tensions with the United States over Iran - especially as Trump signals interest in repairing ties with Moscow.

By Naila Huseynova