Iran turns to Putin as war, US election reshape strategic calculations

TEHRAN — An unannounced visit by Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary, Mohsen Rezaei , to Moscow this week was more than another diplomatic encounter between two increasingly close partners. Rezaei's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, attended by the Kremlin's foreign policy aide and the head of Russia's military intelligence agency, came at a critical juncture, with Tehran resisting US demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume negotiations and President Donald Trump keeping military options on the table after Republicans suffered a major midterm defeat.

The timing presents an opportunity for Iran to strengthen its strategic position and demonstrate that it is not isolated. But the visit also exposes a fundamental uncertainty in its relationship with Moscow: How far Russia is willing to go toward becoming a meaningful security partner, or whether it is content to benefit from Iran's confrontation with Washington without assuming the risks of defending it. According to Iranian state media, Rezaei said he had delivered a message from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to Putin and returned with the Russian president's response.

The high-level exchange underscores the strategic importance Tehran attaches to its relationship with the Kremlin.