Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged continued assistance to Iran during talks with President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday as the Trump administration launched new strikes on Iranian targets and prepared additional sanctions aimed at tightening Tehran’s financial isolation.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Moscow’s support for Iran on Tuesday as President Donald Trump intensified a two-pronged campaign of military strikes and economic sanctions against Tehran, underscoring the deepening strategic relationship between Russia and the Islamic Republic.
Putin made the commitment during a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, according to The Washington Post.
Pezeshkian thanked the Russian leader for Moscow’s assistance and called for closer cooperation between the two countries in resisting U.S. sanctions and other measures imposed by Washington.
Putin said Russia was continuing to provide Iran with assistance and essential goods, according to the Post.
The meeting unfolded as U.S. forces carried out another round of airstrikes against Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, renewing military pressure after an exchange of attacks over the weekend threatened to broaden the conflict.
U.S. Central Command said Tuesday’s strikes targeted Iranian forces involved in attacks against commercial shipping in the strategically critical waterway and against American personnel deployed in the region.
The new operation followed U.S. strikes Sunday against two Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island, Reuters reported.
Iran responded by launching ballistic missiles at U.S. forces stationed in Jordan, according to Reuters.
Trump has warned Tehran that any retaliation for the latest American strikes would trigger a substantially more powerful U.S. response.
Bessent Promises Weekly Sanctions Pressure
At the same time, the Trump administration is preparing an increasingly aggressive economic campaign designed to restrict Iran’s access to money, international financial institutions and revenue.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that Washington is likely to sanction an Iranian bank this week, with another round of restrictions expected next week, Reuters reported.
The administration is also considering action against airline leasing companies and other businesses or entities with connections to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“We are going to economically asphyxiate this regime,” Bessent said during a G20 finance leaders’ meeting in Asheville, North Carolina.
Bessent said the United States expects to announce new secondary sanctions approximately every week, initially concentrating on Iran’s financial sector.
Some Iranian institutions could eventually be excluded from the dollar-based financial system, he said.
U.S. officials are also working to identify and freeze IRGC assets around the world.
Trump has characterized the broader effort to deprive Tehran of revenue as an “economic D-Day” and warned foreign governments and businesses that providing Iran with an economic lifeline could expose them to serious consequences.
The combination of financial pressure and renewed military operations is intended to isolate Tehran while raising the cost of continuing its confrontation with Washington.
Russia and Iran Deepen Strategic Cooperation
Putin’s public support demonstrates that Iran still has a major international partner willing to provide political and economic assistance as Washington seeks to constrict its options.
Russia and Iran have developed an increasingly consequential military relationship in addition to their economic and diplomatic ties, according to The Washington Post.
Iran transferred drone technology that helped Russia develop domestic production capabilities for unmanned weapons subsequently used extensively in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
Russia, in turn, has provided Iran with targeting assistance for retaliatory operations against U.S. forces and other targets in the Middle East, the Post reported.
Pezeshkian told Putin that organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization could give Moscow and Tehran mechanisms for resisting U.S. sanctions and what the two governments describe as unilateral economic measures.
The SCO includes China, Russia, India, Iran and several Central Asian countries and has increasingly provided Moscow, Beijing and Tehran with a diplomatic forum outside Western-led institutions.
On Tuesday, members of the organization issued a statement condemning military strikes against Iran and opposing what they described as unilateral coercive measures, according to the Post.
The declaration gave Tehran broader diplomatic backing even as the Trump administration attempted to increase its international isolation.
Putin Positions Moscow as Counterweight to Washington
The summit also provided Putin with an opportunity to present Russia as an alternative source of diplomatic and economic support for governments facing pressure from the United States.
The Washington Post reported that Moscow sees potential opportunities to expand its international influence while Washington devotes additional military, diplomatic and financial resources to the Middle East.
For Iran, Russian support could become increasingly important as U.S. sanctions target its banks, businesses, oil revenue and access to the global financial system.
For Moscow, closer relations with Tehran provide strategic benefits ranging from military technology to greater influence in a region central to energy markets and global trade.
The relationship has therefore become increasingly reciprocal rather than limited to traditional diplomatic cooperation.
Strait of Hormuz Remains Central Flashpoint
The confrontation continues to center heavily on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil supplies moves.
The latest American strikes targeted Iranian forces connected to attacks on commercial shipping around the strait, while earlier U.S. military action targeted Iranian missile capabilities on nearby Larak Island.
Continued fighting has heightened fears of prolonged disruptions to global energy supplies.
Oil prices rose Tuesday following the latest U.S.-Iran exchange as markets reacted to the possibility of additional interruptions in shipments, Reuters reported.
The consequences are already extending beyond the two countries.
Higher oil prices have renewed concerns about inflation, while governments, businesses and energy markets are watching closely for evidence that instability around the Strait of Hormuz could persist.
That economic vulnerability gives the waterway an importance far beyond the immediate battlefield.
Washington is now attempting to pressure Tehran simultaneously through military force, banking restrictions, secondary sanctions and efforts to freeze IRGC assets internationally.
Russia, meanwhile, is signaling that Iran will not face that pressure without outside support.
Putin’s pledge to continue supplying assistance and essential goods to Tehran, combined with the SCO’s condemnation of strikes and unilateral coercive measures, illustrates the geopolitical obstacle confronting the Trump administration as it seeks to economically and diplomatically isolate the Islamic Republic.
Original article
Comments