Russian President Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the Iranian leadership on the occasion of Nowruz, their new year, while simultaneously stating that Moscow remains a "dedicated friend and reliable partner" of Tehran. However, the actual extent of Russian support for Iran remains questionable.

Putin addressed the greetings to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian. Russia claims that American and Israeli military operations against Iran have destabilized the entire Middle East and caused a significant global energy crisis.

According to sources, Moscow proposed a potential deal to Washington: the Kremlin would stop sharing intelligence data with Iran if the US stopped providing intelligence information about Russian activities in Ukraine. The US reportedly rejected the proposal, and the Kremlin dismissed the report as inaccurate.

Russia has experienced diminished regional influence after the US-backed removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, although Moscow benefited from increased oil prices caused by military strikes on its strategic partner.

The declared strategic partnership between the two countries has no mutual defense clause. Russia has repeatedly stated that it opposes Iran's development of nuclear weapons, fearing that it would trigger regional nuclear proliferation.