Maariv: An unprecedented crisis between Iran and Russia
The Israeli Maariv newspaper reported that Iranian media outlets recently published a series of opinion articles expressing disappointment and criticism of Iran’s strategic relations with Russia and China, especially in light of their moderate response to the recent Israeli attack, according to Raz Zimmt, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and a research fellow at the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University.
On the Iranian Diplomacy website, a prominent foreign affairs analyst noted that Russia is unlikely to actively support Iran by supplying it with air defense systems, including the S-300, or that it may postpone such support for several years.
“Russia doesn’t pay much attention to permanent strategic alliances and is ready to change its positions quickly,” the analyst explained.
In a similar context, the Tabnak website published a critical comparison between Russian and Iranian air defense systems, indicating that the Iranian Bavar-373 defense system proved more efficient than its Russian counterpart, the S-300, during the recent attack.
In turn, the reformist Ham-Mihan newspaper criticized the position of Russia and China under the title “Where is Russia and China?” expressing its dissatisfaction with their lackluster reactions to the Israeli attack, which weren’t much different from the European reactions, which were limited to expressing concern.
Analysts quoted in the report stressed that this behavior reflects that Russia and China are acting solely based on their own interests, with Russia, in particular, seeking to maintain its relations with Israel and the Arab states.
In this context, one analyst commented, saying, “Russia and China cannot be considered strategic allies of Iran”.
It’s worth noting that these criticisms came from media outlets associated with the more pragmatic wing of Iranian politics, which usually expresses reservations about Iran’s growing dependence on Russia and China, but they also reflect a position that has great influence even in some other political circles within Iran.