If one of the outcomes of the Russia-Iran summit is the restraining of Israel’s ability to
stop Iranian weaponry from passing through Syria, it indeed poses a serious problem
for the Jewish state.
Both Iran and Russia need each other, but for totally different reasons.
Chafing under Western economic sanctions and at loggerheads with the US over Tehran’s nuclear program, Iran’s clerics are keen to strengthen strategic relations with Russia in the face of the emerging US-backed Gulf Arab-Israeli bloc that could tilt the Middle East balance of power further away from the Islamic Republic.
Although Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia didn’t achieve a breakthrough regarding normalizing relations with Israel, it highlighted the concern about Iran that the Gulf Arab countries share with Jerusalem.
The president’s appearance at the Gulf Cooperation Council summit with leaders of six Arab Gulf countries plus Egypt, Jordan and Iraq was aimed at bolstering US positioning in the Middle East and knitting the region closer together against Iran.
That is apparently alarming for both Iran and Russia. According to Reuters, a senior Iranian official said that one of Tehran’s goals for Putin’s visit is “to secure Moscow’s support in its confrontation with Washington and its regional allies.”
Yuri Ushakov – Putin’s foreign policy adviser – told reporters in Moscow that the contact with Khamenei is very important.
Russia’s interest in cozying up to Iran can be seen in the disclosure that the US made ahead of last week’s summit. The White House released satellite imagery indicating that Russian officials have twice visited Iran in recent weeks for a showcase of weapons-capable drones Moscow is looking to acquire to use in its war in Ukraine.
The confluence of Russia and Iran around Ukraine presents a challenging scenario for Israel. Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Ram Ben-Barak articulated that concern on Tuesday, telling KAN News that Putin’s attendance at the Tehran summit is “troubling, because the cooperation between Russia and Iran, with Russian technological capabilities, can spell troubling results in many regards.”
Israel is in a particularly precarious position in regard to Russia, because since the onset of the war with Ukraine, it has attempted to refrain from antagonizing the superpower so that it can continue to operate unfettered against Iranian elements in Syria.
If one of the outcomes of the Russia-Iran summit is the restraining of Israel’s ability to stop Iranian weaponry from passing through Syria, it indeed poses a serious problem for the Jewish state.
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