Iran and Russia have stood by each other for years, with their strong partnership coming from the shared experience of United States sanctions on Iran and US-Russia interactions.

A division has been noticed among Iranians regarding Iran-Russia relationships while they take steps earnestly to prevent a turn away from the West. According to a report from European Council on Foreign Relations by Faezeh Foroutan, Iranian leaders have been divided into two parts, the first seeking a solid relationship with Russia for the sake of the regime’s existence and being fully equipped against the United States. This group aims to balance the power of the US in the Middle East. Former Iranian president Hassan Rouhani is included in this group calling for de-escalation with the west.

Russia is a significant neighbor from the second group’s point of view, but they do not believe in putting efforts into Russia-Iran strategic ties. Instead, they prefer to open the door to the West. Ali Shamkhani, an Iranian general and the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council states “Forty years of experience has taught our people that relying on Western or Eastern powers will neither guarantee our rights nor our security.”

Iran has benefited from the war in Ukraine giving them further opportunity to move forward in its relationship with Russia and the West by advancing its military partnership with Russia and providing its energy resources to the Western countries.