Russia would side with Israel over Iran if forced to choose between the two, former Iranian ambassador to Moscow Nematollah Izadi said in remarks sharply critical of Tehran’s reliance on the Kremlin.
“Russia prioritizes its own interests and its relationships with other countries over its relationship with us,” Izadi said in an interview with the Iranian outlet Jamaran. “If Russia were to choose between supporting us or Israel, it would undoubtedly choose Israel.”
Izadi’s comments come as several Iranian officials express frustration with Moscow’s silence during recent Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, despite Tehran’s military cooperation with Russia.
“I don’t believe our military cooperation with Russia or our support in the Ukraine war was ever conditional on reciprocal support during times of crisis,” Izadi said. “Russia would never accept such terms. From their perspective, Iran is an unpredictable country, and naturally they would not commit to risking their own interests for us.”
The former diplomat also criticized Moscow’s lack of diplomatic engagement during the recent 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, comparing it with Russia’s past mediation efforts in Iraq during the US-led invasion.
“Even for the sake of preserving its international image or influencing the course of the conflict, Russia did not attempt any mediation between us and the Zionist regime,” Izadi added. “This is in stark contrast to the early 2000s, when Russia sent special envoys to Iraq via Iran multiple times. No such initiative was taken for Iran this time.”
"Over the 46 years since the Islamic Republic was established, our relationship with the United States has been effectively hostile, our ties with Europe have fluctuated, and our relations with regional and neighboring countries have been far from stable. These dynamics have gradually pushed us toward isolation," Izadi said.
