The Guardian’s middle east correspondent Martin Chulov says that the wars in Syria and Ukraine are bringing Iran and Russia together.
Russian Plane Carrying €140 Million in Cash
When a Russian plane carrying €140 million in cash and a bunch of captured western weapons landed in Iran in exchange for Iranian drones, it was the start of a new phase in a seven-year alliance between two countries that don’t seem to go together.
The money and weapons are said to have been sent in August after Russia got its first shipment of drones to help with its war in Ukraine. It was the first time that anyone knew that Iran helped the Russian offensive in Europe. But the ties between the two countries were made in the Middle East, which had been torn apart by war.
For the first time in nearly nine months of the war, #Russia said that Indian students who had to flee #Ukraine due to war can continue the remainder of their education in Russia if they wish to.https://t.co/w197CQxbVJ
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) November 11, 2022
At the height of Bashar al-Assad’s efforts to save Syria from forces that had beaten his army to the point of defeat, the Iranian general Qassem Suleimani flew to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin. There, he showed the Russian leader maps and explained Assad’s problems.
Russia’s intervention in 2015
The visit set the stage for Russia’s intervention in 2015 and made a deal between two countries that don’t have much in common except that they both want to destroy the existing order and hurt the west.
Syria was the place to start working together, but Ukraine is quickly becoming the place to make it stronger. Even though their ways of running the country and their goals are very different, the Islamic leaders of Iran and Putin’s brand of secular blood-and-soil nationalism have found things they agree on. Since they both want the same things, they are a natural match.
So much for the idea #Ukraine negotiated a deal with #Russia to allow the Russians to withdraw unmolested from #Kherson: the Ukrainians are battering the Russians as they fall back, and all indications are this has degenerated into a rout for the Russians. pic.twitter.com/QBWWfGM4Kj
— Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) November 11, 2022
This partnership started in Syria, and it’s still growing in Ukraine, said Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and director of the Syria program.
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“In Syria, Iran was the one who fought the long battle [in support of Assad] until Russia stepped in to help. In Ukraine, however, Iran has recently joined the conflict by sending strategic weapons to help Russia’s campaign, which is struggling.
First to Report That Russia Had Sent Money to Iran
This week, Sky News was the first to report that Russia had sent money to Iran. Their sources told them that more Iranian drones were likely to be sent, which would strengthen the relationship between the two countries and make civilian targets more vulnerable before winter.
Cities in Ukraine have been destroyed by drones that have already been sent. Many have been used as kamikazes, and others have been equipped with missile platforms that have hit hospitals and power plants.
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In the seven years that Russia has been attacking eastern Syria, hospitals, schools, bakeries, and lines for food have all been common targets. At least a few thousand civilians have been killed in these attacks. Last week, a Russian drone guided Syrian missiles with cluster bombs to a camp for displaced Syrians in the northwest of the country. Nine people were killed and 75 others were hurt.
A First Responder Group That Works in Opposition-held Parts of Syria Said
The White Helmets, a first responder group that works in opposition-held parts of Syria, said, “The most important thing for the Syrian people is to stop the terrorist attacks that keep killing their children and chasing those who have fled across the country.” “However, it is hard to talk to and ask for things from a military machine that only knows how to kill.
It’s also hard to ask for help from the international community, which is run by political balances and regional interests that have nothing to do with human rights.
A 🇺🇦soldier in #Kherson region is in good mood.
“We keep pushing them out. Russia is fu*ked, ” the 🇺🇦warrior says on camera, while the 🇺🇦infantry fighting vehicles keep advancing towards Kherson city.#Ukraine #UkrainianArmy #UkraineRussiaWar #Russia #RussiaIsLosing pic.twitter.com/BZ5VJf1nxb— BREAKING NEWS: UKRAINE (@MrFukkew) November 11, 2022
Russia’s military campaign has been focused on northern Syria, but it and Iran have carved out spheres of influence all over the country by sharing parts of the Syrian military and intelligence apparatus. Both countries have very different ideas about what kind of country they want to see rise from Syria’s ruins, but for now, they are putting those ideas aside.
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“With [the generals] Dvornikov and now Surovikin, Russia’s war in Ukraine has been led by people who fought in Syria,” Lister said. “Both of them put a lot of effort into building and growing a strategic relationship with Iran’s Quds Force.
“Friends help each other out in good times and bad, and the situation in Ukraine shows how much Iran must value its relationship with Putin. China is smart enough to stay out of it, but it doesn’t surprise me that countries like Iran and North Korea, which are also part of the Syria alliance, are doing everything they can to help Russia attack.
