Russia seeking to mediate between US and Iran to save Trump electorally and protect its interests, analyst says

Samer Elias, a writer and researcher specializing in Russian and Eurasian affairs, said Russia is seeking to mediate between Washington and Tehran to save Donald Trump electorally and protect its own interests.

In an interview with Al Arabiya FM, Elias explained that Russia enjoys strong relations and strategic cooperation with Iran across economic, military, and political spheres, as well as a shared vision for a new world order that both countries desire.

He added that Russia also maintains highly developed ties with the administration of US President Donald Trump, as revealed in recent weeks by the shifting of blame to Ukraine for escalating tensions, greater openness toward Russia, and the partial lifting of sanctions. For these reasons, Moscow believes it can help create a platform for dialogue or facilitate message exchanges between the two sides.

Elias noted that Russia is pursuing this mediation because it wants to save Trump electorally and may even offer him a surprise or a gift, similar to the possible gift Russia sees in Trump’s diesel price cap issue. He added that Russia is very interested in resolving the conflict despite financially benefiting from higher energy prices and increased Russian oil exports, which fund the Russian budget and enable it to continue the war in Ukraine.

He concluded that Russia’s main interest regarding Iran is to prevent its complete destruction, as losing Iran would mean losing another key ally. In recent years, Russia has lost influence over the Bashar Assad regime in Syria and the Nicolas Maduro government in Venezuela; losing Iran would be a multiplied and very large loss for Moscow.

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