Facing economic and military difficulties in his invasion of Ukraine, the Russian president Vladimir Putin popped up this week in Iran’s capital Tehran. His plan was to show the world that, despite sanctions on Moscow and international aid for Ukraine’s resistance, he was not isolated.
Putin got his photo opportunity with Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who bashed the US and Nato, insisting: “If you [Russia] had not taken the initiative, the other side would have caused the war with its own initiative.” There were more pictures with the Iranian and Turkish presidents, Ebrahim Raisi and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
For “anti-imperialist” — and thus pro-Kremlin — news sites such as The Cradle, this was proof of a new emerging bloc. The Biden administration also saw a potential axis, declaring that Iran is preparing to send hundreds of armed drones to Moscow amid Russia’s military deficiencies and losses.
