Russia's partnership with Iran has become one of the most influential strategic partnerships in today's geopolitical landscape. While Moscow and Tehran have stopped short of a formal military alliance, their cooperation in drones, intelligence, sanctions evasion and internal security has deepened since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In an interview with RFE/RL, partners of LRT English, Nicole Grajewski, an expert on Russian-Iranian relations at Sciences Po and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, explains how the conflicts in Ukraine and the Persian Gulf have become increasingly intertwined – and how far Russia is willing to go to support Iran.
As regional strikes and maritime escalation intensify across the Persian Gulf, how is the deepening partnership between Moscow and Tehran reshaping both the war in Ukraine and the broader security crisis in the Middle East?
What's fairly apparent with the current war and the war in Ukraine is how intertwined the Russia-Iran relationship is and how it's transformed.
For example, Iran provided Russia with the Shahed drones that were used quite extensively in Ukraine. In return, Russia has been providing crucial support to Iran when it comes to satellite imagery, potentially targeting support, as well as training, operational assistance, and data sharing.
