Strengthening Russian-Iranian Cooperation After the Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh

Strengthening Russian-Iranian Cooperation After the Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh

Russian news agency Interfax reported that Sergei Shoigu, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, arrived in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Monday for talks with senior Iranian leaders, including President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Interfax mentioned that Shoigu, who was previously the Defense Minister before being transferred to the Security Council in May, would also meet with the head of Iran's National Security and the Chief of the General Staff. Moscow has been working to strengthen its ties with Tehran since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and is preparing to sign a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Iran.

In related news, Reuters reported in February that Iran had supplied Russia with a significant number of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles. The United States confirmed in June that Russia was bolstering its defense cooperation with Iran, having received hundreds of attack drones used to bomb Ukraine, although Moscow denied this.

On Friday, Russia joined Iran in condemning the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, noting the "serious consequences of this act." In this context, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson stated on Monday that Tehran does not seek to escalate tensions in the region but believes that punishing Israel is necessary to prevent further instability, following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, in Tehran last week.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani emphasized that Iran aims to establish stability in the region, but this cannot be achieved without punishing the aggressor and deterring Israel from further adventures. Kanaani urged the United States to stop supporting Israel, pointing out that the international community has failed in its duty to protect regional stability and should support "punishing the aggressor."

The Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami, asserted on Monday that Israel "will be punished at the appropriate time." Salami stated that Israel would receive a "crushing response" for the assassination of Haniyeh early Wednesday during his visit to Tehran.

During a speech at a ceremony honoring journalists at the University of the Revolution, Salami said that Israel "assassinated a striving man who was demanding the rights of his people." He noted that Israel "miscalculated by assassinating Haniyeh and will receive a crushing response," adding, "We are facing various events, and they are increasing. There was a time when the powers decided to create events, but today the situation has changed."

These Iranian statements come after the assassination of Hamas's political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran in an operation also attributed to Israel. Iran and its allies have vowed to retaliate for this assassination, along with the killing of Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukr in a strike in southern Beirut last week.

The Group of Seven (G7) called for restraint and de-escalation in the Middle East on Monday, saying that recent events "threaten to ignite a broader conflict in the region." The group stated: "We urge all parties once again to refrain from engaging in the current destructive cycle of retaliatory violence, de-escalate tensions, and move constructively towards de-escalation."

Levant News