First meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Massoud Pezeshkian, in Turkmenistan, in October 2024 (Credit: Alexander Shcherbak/AFP/Archive photo)
U.S. President Donald Trump’s unprecedented military and economic pressure on Iran is reshaping strategic calculations far beyond the Middle East and exposing divisions among the world’s major powers. Russia is increasingly siding with Tehran strategically, while China continues to provide economic and diplomatic support but also wants the Strait of Hormuz reopened. The Gulf states and Europe, meanwhile, are moving closer to Washington’s position on the need to break Iran’s control over the strait, without necessarily embracing Trump’s broader war aims.Growing cooperation between Russia and Iran has become a serious enough concern in Washington that CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow on Aug. 25 to press Russia to stop providing Tehran with intelligence and technological assistance. At the same time, Treasury Secretary Scott...
U.S. President Donald Trump’s unprecedented military and economic pressure on Iran is reshaping strategic calculations far beyond the Middle East and exposing divisions among the world’s major powers. Russia is increasingly siding with Tehran strategically, while China continues to provide economic and diplomatic support but also wants the Strait of Hormuz reopened. The Gulf states and Europe, meanwhile, are moving closer to Washington’s position on the need to break Iran’s control over the strait, without necessarily embracing Trump’s broader war aims.Growing cooperation between Russia and Iran has become a serious enough concern in Washington that CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow on Aug. 25 to press Russia to stop providing Tehran with intelligence and technological assistance. At the same time, Treasury...
