The upcoming Putin-Trump meeting in Alaska on Friday, which will discuss a Ukraine settlement, is likely to reaffirm Russia’s willingness to calibrate the implementation of its strategic partnership with Tehran to serve Moscow’s priority objectives in Ukraine. Iranian leaders appear to have miscalculated that providing Moscow with armed drones and ballistic missiles for use against Ukraine would leverage unconditional Russian support for Tehran. Putin has adopted Washington’s position that Iran should accede to a new nuclear accord that precludes Iran from enriching uranium (“zero enrichment”). Russia appears willing to help Iran rebuild its shattered air defense network, but Russia’s S-400 advanced air defense system, if supplied to Iran, also presents a ripe target for future Israel and/or U.S. strikes on Iran.
Iran Looks to Russia to Counter U.S.-led Pressure – The Soufan Center
