Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Iranian leaders on the occasion of the Persian New Year and affirmed that Moscow remained a loyal friend and reliable partner of Tehran, the Kremlin reported on Saturday.
However, the extent of Moscow’s support for Iran is controversial. Some Iranian sources have said they have received little real help from Moscow in the biggest crisis Iran has faced since the US-backed Shah was overthrown in the 1979 revolution.
Putin sent congratulations to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mokhtaba Khamenei and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the occasion of the Iranian New Year, the Kremlin reported.
“Vladimir Putin wished the Iranian people to overcome the tough tests with dignity and stressed that in these difficult times, Moscow remains a loyal friend and reliable partner of Tehran,” the Kremlin said.
Russia says US and Israeli attacks on Iran have plunged the entire Middle East into abyss and triggered a serious global energy crisis, while Putin condemned the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Politico reported that Moscow proposed a ‘quid pro quo’ to Washington: The Kremlin would stop sharing intelligence with Iran if Washington stopped providing Ukraine with information about Russia, but the United States rejected the idea.. The Kremlin has denied the news, calling it false.
Russia was left without an ally when the United States overthrew Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, although Moscow has benefited from high oil prices caused by US and Israeli attacks on Iran, a strategic partner.
Russia has repeatedly stated that it does not want Iran to develop an atomic bomb, a step Moscow fears would trigger a nuclear arms race across the Middle East.
