Lavrov backs Tehran, but does Russia also gain from the US-Iran crisis?

Russia's support for Iran in the US-Iran crisis may have a hidden agenda.

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Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has pledged Moscow's support for Iran in the ongoing US-Iran crisis, according to Al Jazeera English. Lavrov met with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, and President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on Monday.

Analysts say that the war on Iran, launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, has filled Russia's coffers due to increased oil prices. Washington has also eased sanctions on Russian energy to bring down fuel costs, a major complaint from consumers in the US.

Nader Hashemi, an associate professor of Middle East politics at Georgetown University, believes that Lavrov's primary motive is to solidify the wartime partnership between Russia and Iran. Hashemi said that the aim is to advance each side's war goals: 'Russia against Ukraine, Iran against the United States.'

Hashemi also suspects that there is a longer-term agenda behind Russia's support for Iran. He believes that Moscow wants a say in what replaces the Middle East regional order, which has been left unravelling by the US-Israeli attack.

Russia and Iran have a strategic partnership, although their treaty stops short of a military alliance. Putin and Pezeshkian signed a 20-year Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty in Moscow in January 2025, which came into force in October of the same year.

Ties between Russia and Iran deepened after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Iran sharing Shahed drone technology that enabled Russia to build its own version.

The partnership between Russia and Iran has been strengthened by the US-Iran crisis, with both countries fighting wars and seeking to advance their war goals. However, the extent to which Russia wants the US-Iran crisis to end remains unclear.