As Mideast Tensions Soar, Iran Looks to ‘Strategic Partner’ Russia

In recent months, Russian and Iranian officials have sought to forge a ‘strategic partnership’ between their two countries.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (C), former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L), and Hassan Khomeini (R), grandson of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in Tehran, Iran, on July 6, 2024. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s newly inaugurated president, has called for expanded relations between his country and Russia following last week’s killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

“Russia is among the countries that have stood by the Iranian nation during difficult times,” Pezeshkian said in remarks carried by local media outlets.