- March 21, 2026
- 1:16 pm
- World News
The aggressor Russian Federation remains a “faithful friend and reliable partner” of Iran.
In a congratulatory message on March 21, 2026, on the occasion of Nowruz, Putin effectively reaffirmed Moscow’s political line: at a time of regional war, strikes on Iranian targets, and the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz, the Kremlin does not distance itself from Tehran but publicly calls itself its “faithful friend and reliable partner.”
This was stated by the Russian “führer” Putin in a greeting to Iranian leaders on the occasion of Nowruz.
In particular, the greeting of the Russian dictator is addressed to the new Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, and President Masoud Pezeshkian.
In the message, the “führer” Putin wished the Iranian people to “overcome severe trials with dignity” and boldly declared “loyalty and partnership” between Moscow and Tehran.
The formula seems diplomatic. But in essence, it is no longer a neutral congratulation but a signal: Russia demonstratively remains alongside the Iranian regime precisely when it is under the heaviest pressure in many years.
What exactly did the Kremlin say and why did it sound louder than usual
The congratulation turned out to be not a ritual but a political marker
In ordinary times, such texts go almost unnoticed. Now the situation is different. Iran is waging war against Israel and the USA, shelling the region, pressuring shipping, and shaking the energy market. Against this backdrop, the words that Moscow remains a “faithful friend” are perceived not as a formality but as an open positioning on Tehran’s side.
For the Israeli audience, one simple conclusion is important here. When Moscow talks about a “reliable partnership” with Iran, it is not about cultural diplomacy or Nowruz symbols. It is about a state that helps arm, technologically strengthen, and politically cover a regime waging direct and proxy war against Israel and American presence in the region.
Why the figure of Mojtaba Khamenei is particularly important in this story
It is worth paying attention to the addressee of the congratulation. After the death of Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba Khamenei became the new Supreme Leader of Iran — a figure from the hard conservative part of the regime, closely associated with the security apparatus and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Already in March, he publicly supported maintaining pressure through the Strait of Hormuz and demonstrated a hard line.
That is, Putin sent his message not just to another Iranian official. He addressed the new center of power in Tehran, which is associated not with détente but with further escalation.
Why this story is important specifically for Israel
Moscow no longer leaves room for ambiguity
In the Israeli perspective, this congratulation looks like yet another confirmation that the Moscow-Tehran axis remains even when the Middle East is practically on fire. And this is important not only at the level of rhetoric. Because Israel has long been dealing not with a theoretical alliance but with a very practical connection: Iranian technologies went to Russia, and then Russian experience, production, and intelligence support began to work in the opposite direction.
Therefore, in the middle of this whole story, the phrase NANews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency sounds not just like an editorial brand but as a point where Ukrainian and Israeli narratives converge into one reality. Ukraine has long warned that the Moscow-Tehran alliance would not be limited to drone supplies against Kyiv. Now Israel sees that the same connection is already affecting regional security, maritime routes, American bases, and the very logic of war in the Middle East.
From Kyiv, this connection looks even more direct
On March 15, Volodymyr Zelensky stated in an interview with CNN that Russia is already supplying Iran with its own production of Shahed drones and that these drones were used against the USA and Israel. A few days later, Reuters separately reported, citing a Wall Street Journal publication, that Moscow allegedly transfers satellite images and advanced drone technologies to Tehran; however, the agency emphasized that it could not independently confirm this data. This is an important caveat, and it should not be lost. But even with it, the picture looks quite unambiguous.
In other words, Putin is now congratulating Iran not from an empty place. Behind these words already stands accumulated military cooperation, a common anti-Israel agenda, and a coincidence of strategic interests.
What is known about Russia’s real help to Iran
There is support, but it has its limits
Reuters wrote on March 6 that Moscow and Beijing were helping Iran build military potential — from missiles and air defense systems to technologies that were supposed to complicate the actions of the USA and Israel. But the same agency noted: this support has a ceiling. Russia does not have a mutual defense treaty with Iran, and Moscow itself does not want Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons, fearing an already uncontrollable regional race.
This, by the way, is an important nuance for the Israeli reader. The Kremlin does indeed help Iran, but it does so not out of fraternal devotion. It acts pragmatically: to weaken the USA, hit the Western coalition, raise stakes in the energy market, divert attention from Ukraine, and maintain its own influence in the anti-Western camp. There is no romance of a “civilization alliance” there. There is cold calculation.
The statement of “friendship” is also a message to the West
That’s why the current congratulation should be read more broadly than just a protocol telegram. It is a message not only to Tehran but also to Washington, Brussels, Jerusalem. Moscow shows: despite the war against Ukraine, despite sanctions, and despite pressure, it is ready to remain an external supporting player for Iran.
And in this sense, the phrase that Russia is a “faithful friend” of Iran sounds almost honest. Not because there is unconditional trust between them, but because both regimes are too useful to each other in confrontation with the West and in pressuring neighbors.
For Israel, this is bad news, but not unexpected. Rather, another documented confirmation that the war against the Iranian military machine and the fight against the Russian-Iranian connection are no longer two different topics. It is the same line of tension, only on different parts of the map.