President Putin sends a message of support for Iran amid Middle East conflict.
On March 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the leaders and people of Iran on the occasion of Nowruz (the traditional Persian New Year), while reaffirming Moscow's solidarity with Tehran amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
According to an official statement from the Kremlin, President Putin sent congratulatory messages to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, and President Masoud Pezeshkian.
In his message, the Russian leader wished the Iranian people good health and strength to overcome the current difficult challenges. "In these difficult times, Moscow remains a loyal friend and a reliable partner of Tehran," the Kremlin quoted Putin as emphasizing.
Russia is a traditional strategic partner of Iran. Since the conflict broke out on February 28, Moscow has repeatedly and strongly criticized the airstrikes conducted by the US and Israeli coalition against the territory of this Middle Eastern nation.
Most recently, on March 18, Russia also condemned the Israeli airstrike that killed Ali Larijani, former Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and a high-ranking security official.
Since the war broke out, Russia has claimed to be providing only humanitarian aid to Iran. However, US media outlets have recently cited anonymous sources accusing Moscow of secretly sharing military intelligence data. This move is believed to be aimed at supporting Tehran's retaliatory drone and missile attacks targeting US and Israeli bases in the Persian Gulf region.
Earlier this month, the Kremlin declined to comment on reports regarding the aforementioned intelligence sharing.