Iran, the country most sanctioned by the West after Russia, is a major supporter of the Kremlin's military campaign in Ukraine, to which it has provided Shahed-136 combat drones. Tehran also shares some points of view with Moscow on the Gaza conflict, a closeness that was shared yesterday by the presidents of both countries, who met in the Russian capital.
The host, Vladimir Putin, who until now had maintained good relations with Israel and, especially, with its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, showed a moderate position. "For us it is very important to exchange opinions on the regional situation, especially regarding the situation in Palestine", he told his guest in the protocol preliminary words before the meeting held behind closed doors by both delegations.
The guest, Ebrahim Raisi, who supports the Islamist group Hamas, which rules Gaza, was highly critical of Israel's response to the Islamist militias' initial incursion into its territory on October 7, which caused some 1,200 dead. "What is happening in Palestine and Gaza is of course a genocide and a crime against humanity", assured the Iranian leader in statements broadcast by Russian television. In addition, Raisi accused the West of supporting this "genocide".
"Every ten minutes a child dies in Gaza," said the Iranian president. In the strip, "so far, the Zionist regime has killed more than 6,000 children with the support of the United States and the West," he added.
Israeli bombing of Gaza in response to the Hamas incursion has already killed more than 17,000 people.
According to Raisi, "the bombings must be stopped as soon as possible. This is something that concerns not only the Middle East region, but all of humanity, and it requires a quick solution.”
The meeting between Putin and Raisi in the Kremlin took place the day after the Russian president made a lightning trip to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where he also discussed with the leaders the war between Israel and Hamas.
Until the outbreak of the current conflict, Moscow maintained relations with key players in the region, which included Hamas and Israel. But this privileged situation has been transformed in two months. Russian authorities angered Israel for hosting a Hamas delegation in the Russian capital in October. In addition, the new outbreak of violence has allowed Russia to align itself with developing countries that stand in solidarity with the Palestinians. On the other hand, the situation around the Gaza Strip is favoring Russia because the world has stopped paying so much attention to its activities in Ukraine.
