russia Betrayed Iran in the War with Israel

Despite public rapprochement, relations between russia and Iran are fraught with mistrust and hidden rivalry. Despite economic cooperation, both countries view each other as potential enemies rather than reliable allies, as evidenced by mutual espionage and conflicting geopolitical interests.

After the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, member of Iran’s Expediency Council Seyyed Mohammad Sadr accused russia of providing Israel with intelligence about the locations of Iran’s air defense systems. According to him, this proves the futility of the “strategic alliance” with moscow. “russia only verbally condemned Israel’s attack on Iran. But in practice, it assisted it”, Sadr said. This incident highlighted the fragility of a partnership where economic ties do not guarantee political loyalty.

russia invested heavily in Iran, becoming the largest foreign investor in the Islamic Republic in 2024. In 2023, russian investments amounted to $2.7 billion, and moscow promised to invest another $8 billion in the oil and gas sector. A russian nuclear power plant is operating in Bushehr, the construction of its second phase is underway, and the “Sirik” thermal power plant is being built in the Hormozgân province. The russian oil company “ZN Vostok” is actively operating in Iran, and among the promising projects are the “Rasht-Astara” railway, financed by the rf, and a gas pipeline through Azerbaijan.

However, these ambitious plans are under threat. Historical mistrust, reinforced by current conflicts of interest, makes the “alliance” between the two regimes illusory. moscow is losing not only Iran, but also its status as a global player in the Middle East.