JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia tried to stay on good terms with Iran and Israel. Then they started fighting.” – Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir
“Iran creates a unique link between the war in Gaza and the war in Ukraine, where it supplies Russia with arms. That puts the Kremlin in a difficult position in the Middle East.”
“… [A]mid tensions in the Middle East – somewhat eased since an Israeli strike in Iran over the weekend – Moscow’s long-standing outreach to Tel Aviv may become a casualty. Despite strong personal ties between … Putin and … Netanyahu, Israel has fallen back on … traditional friends in the West for support amid the deepening crisis. … Russia has moved into an even tighter embrace with Iran, which it relies on for weapons to fight the war in Ukraine, growing trade and economic cooperation, and vital assistance in evading Western sanctions – apparently including a fleet of ‘ghost tankers’ to move Russian oil to world markets. And if the situation between Iran and Israel does spiral, it could become a major problem for Russia. … [Meanwhile,] [a] wider geopolitical realignment has been underway for some time, in which Russia, in concert with China, is seeking to build alternative economic and political alliances to replace the existing Western-led ones. …”