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Iran Has Not Asked for Russia’s Help, Kremlin Says

Kirill Zykov / Moskva News Agency

Iran has not asked for Russia’s military support since the United States and Israel began launching attacks across the country, the Kremlin said Thursday, as the war in the Middle East continued to widen.

“There were no requests from Iran in this case,” top spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a daily briefing. 

Moscow is one of Tehran’s closest partners. Russia’s envoy to the United Nations this week condemned the attacks on Iran as a “deliberate, premeditated and unprovoked act of armed aggression.”

In 2025, Russia and Iran signed a strategic partnership agreement that includes provisions for countering shared threats. However, the pact stops short of mutual defense obligations, unlike the security agreement Russia has signed with North Korea.

President Vladimir Putin has expressed condolences over what he called the “cynical assassination” of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, but has otherwise not publicly commented on the ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Analysts say Russia’s response is likely to be limited largely to statements in international forums such as the UN Security Council.

“Our position is consistent and known to everyone, and there have been no changes,” Peskov told reporters Thursday.

He added that the conflict in the Middle East “cannot and should not” affect gasoline prices in Russia, noting that the country’s antitrust authorities were monitoring the market.

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