An expert told Fox News Digital that the relationship between Iran and Russia is intensifying, with both sides acknowledging they “need each other desperately” following a public declaration of support from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday, Putin was photographed shaking hands with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The Kremlin’s readout indicated that Putin said, “Russia stands in full solidarity with the people of Iran.” He further added, “We admire your courage and resilience in your fight for your national interests. Please convey my regards and words of sincere support to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei.”
Retired U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove, a former NATO commander, said the partnership is expanding. “Both are broke economically, they need each other’s help. Russia relies on Iran’s missile production amid setbacks in Ukraine, while Iran depends on Russian targeting and intelligence to continue operations in the Middle East,” he commented.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov affirmed Iran’s “inalienable” right to enrich uranium, directly defying recent U.S. demands.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian pose for a photo during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool Sputnik Kremlin via AP)
Breedlove added that Russia is transferring technologies and capabilities that bolster Iran’s military and help sustain the country’s religious leadership.
Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), described the Iran‑Russia partnership as a long‑standing, strategically important relationship. He explained that Russia sees Iran as a tool against the United States, while Iran regards Russia as a lifeline for military advancement, economic assistance, and political support—including backing at the United Nations Security Council.
Breedlove also noted that the U.S. conflict with Iran has evolved into a test of wills rather than a purely military confrontation. Both sides have exchanged aerial strikes, with the U.S. maintaining air and sea dominance but having chosen not to deploy ground troops, leading Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to adopt a strategy of survival.
The IRGC’s objective, according to Breedlove, is to survive and continue threatening the Strait of Hormuz, which would drive up maritime insurance rates and create disruptions for global shipping. “All they have to do is survive and continue to threaten” the strait, he said, “because it will cause prices to soar for carriers and become a problem for the world economy.”
A recent book warns that China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are forming an “axis of aggressors” that could overwhelm the United States.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of late Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attends a meeting in Tehran, Iran, in this photo from March 2016. (Rouhollah Vahdati/ISNA/WANA/Reuters)
Brodsky added that he believes there is “no diplomatic happy ending” for the U.S.–Iran war while the Iranian regime remains in power.
He described the regime as fundamentally anti‑American, which he said imperils any diplomatic arrangement or negotiation that the United States might pursue with Tehran.
During the meeting, Pezeshkian told Putin, “We are grateful to you for the stance you have adopted during the war, the conflicts, the U.S. sanctions and all the rest,” according to the Kremlin. He added, “Our relations are of a strategic nature. This is more than just ‘normal’ relations. We believe – no, we are certain – that thanks to this we can stand up against U.S. bias and the rightless sanctions they are imposing on us.”
A video reports that U.S. forces have launched strikes on Iran, with President Trump warning that the regime is “playing out the inevitable.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian talk during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Kristina Solovyova/Pool Sputnik Kremlin via AP)
Breedlove commented that the world now recognizes Russia as a persistent challenge. For decades, efforts were made to integrate Russia into the Western community, but its actions in support of Iran and its war in Ukraine demonstrate that Russia does not intend to align with Western values.
He explained that President Putin envisions three spheres of influence: China overseeing Eastern Asia, Russia controlling Western Asia and Europe, and the United States remaining in the Western Hemisphere. “Mr. Putin is going to do nothing until someone shows him steel. He understands power. Rhetoric doesn’t do anything with Mr. Putin,” Breedlove noted.
He concluded that sanctions have never altered Putin’s battlefield behavior, urging the West to determine concrete actions against the Russian leader.