Israel Or Iran: Whose Side Is Russia On? Putin’s Balancing Act In Middle-East Conflict Explained

Last Updated:June 18, 2025, 12:19 IST

Israel-Iran conflict: While the US remains open yet cautious in its support for Israel, Russia treads a fine line

Russia has warm ties with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military ties with Iran. (AP)

Even as Israel and Iran continue to fight over the latter’s nuclear programme, two other countries remained deeply engaged in the conflict – the United States (US) and Russia. While the US is open yet cautious in its support for Israel, Russia is treading a fine line.

Amid the rising Iran-Israel conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin got on separate phone calls with Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian separately.

Putin and US President Donald Trump also discussed the escalating situation in the Middle East on phone on Saturday. Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said the Kremlin leader emphasised Russia’s readiness to carry out mediation efforts, and noted it had proposed steps “aimed at finding mutually acceptable agreements" during US-Iran negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme.

ISRAEL-IRAN & RUSSIA

Russia has managed a balancing act in the Middle East for decades, handling its warm relations with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military ties with Iran. Putin spoke to both Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, offering to help de-escalate the conflict.

RUSSIA & ISRAEL

Russia and Israel have built a close political, economic and cultural relationship that helped them tackle delicate and divisive issues, including developments in Syria. It survived a tough test in 2018, when a Russian military reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by Syrian forces responding to an Israeli airstrike, killing all 15 people aboard.

Even though Russia supplied Iran with sophisticated S-300 air defense missile systems, which Israel said were taken out during its strikes last year on Iran, Moscow dragged its feet on deliveries of other weapons in an apparent response to Israeli worries. Israel, in its turn, appeared to take Moscow’s interests into account by showing little enthusiasm for providing Ukraine with weapons in the 3-year-old war.

The Kremlin’s friendly ties with Israel fuelled discontent in Tehran.

In his call with Netanyahu, Putin “emphasised the importance of returning to the negotiation process and resolving all issues related to the Iranian nuclear program exclusively through political and diplomatic means," and he offered his mediation “in order to prevent further escalation of tensions," the Kremlin said in a readout.

RUSSIA & IRAN

Russia-Iran ties warmed quickly after the USSR’s demise in 1991, when Moscow became an important trade partner and a top supplier of weapons and technology to Iran as it faced international sanctions. Russia built Iran’s first nuclear power plant in the port of Bushehr that became operational in 2013. Russia was part of the 2015 deal between Iran and six nuclear powers, offering sanctions relief for Tehran in exchange for curbing its atomic program and opening it to broader international scrutiny. It offered political support when the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement during Trump’s first term.

After a civil war in Syria erupted in 2011, Russia and Iran helped Bashar Assad reclaim most of the country but failed to prevent a swift collapse of his rule in December 2024 after a lightning opposition offensive.

In January 2025, Russia and Iran signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, aiming to enhance cooperation in areas such as defense, energy, and counterterrorism. Moscow in April ratified a strategic partnership agreement with Iran that includes provisions for both countries to counter shared threats, but does not create any kind of military alliance. Despite the agreement, Russia continued to express concerns over Iran’s growing influence in Syria, reflecting Moscow’s desire to balance its relationships in the region.

In the ongoing conflict too, Moscow hasn’t issued any signal that it could offer anything beyond political support to Tehran.

In his call with Pezeshkian, Putin condemned the Israeli strikes and offered his condolences. He noted that Russia has put forward specific initiatives aimed at resolving the situation around the Iranian nuclear programme. Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded statement condemning the Israeli strikes as “categorically unacceptable" and warning that “all the consequences of this provocation will fall on the Israeli leadership." It urged both parties “to exercise restraint in order to prevent further escalation of tensions and keep the region from sliding into a full-scale war."

WHAT PUTIN WANTS

Putin said Russia is in contact with both the nations and was prepared to seek compromises to halt the violence.Russia is likely to try to get involved through international bodies, such as the UN Security Council and Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).Some observers in Moscow say the focus on the confrontation between Israel and Iran could distract global attention from the war in Ukraine and play into Russia’s hands by potentially weakening Western support for Kyiv.Many observers believe the Israeli attacks would likely fuel global oil prices and help enrich Moscow at a time when its economy is struggling.

With AP Inputs

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News explainers Israel Or Iran: Whose Side Is Russia On? Putin’s Balancing Act In Middle-East Conflict Explained