What happened?

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held a phone call to discuss the worsening situation in the Middle East.

  • Both leaders called for restraint and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

  • Russia and Iran intend to expand joint infrastructure projects and cooperation in other areas.

What is Arab media saying:

  • Putin stressed that Iran’s response to the “criminal act” and the Security Council’s inaction was the best way to punish the aggressor and a manifestation of Iran’s leaders’ tact and rationality. He also emphasized Iran’s crucial role in maintaining regional stability and strongly condemned the behavior of America and some other Western countries in creating tension in the region. [ifpnews.com, aljazeera.com]

  • Raisi thanked Russia for its position towards Iran’s response to Israel and said the inaction of the international community and the destructive role of some Western countries forced Iran to carry out the recent operation. Raisi reiterated that any action against Iran’s interests will demand a larger-scale response. [aljazeera.com]

What is International media saying:

  • Russia and Iran are considered allies, with Iran supplying weapons, particularly drones, for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. [welt.de, zeit.de]


    Raisi conveyed to Putin that Iran has no interest in escalating hostilities in the Middle East, and that the response to an attack on Iranian diplomatic facilities in Syria was “limited”. [infobae.com, zeit.de, tass.com, sana.sy, yahoo.com]

  • The international community is worried about the Middle East being on the brink of a devastating conflict, and Biden has continued to increase his pursuit of a ceasefire deal to prevent the conflict from spreading. [yahoo.com]

What is Israeli media saying:

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin urged all sides in the Middle East to refrain from action that would trigger a new confrontation, warning that a new conflict would have “catastrophic consequences” for the region. [timesofisrael.com]

  • Russia justified the Iranian attack and used the issue to attack Western countries, with its UN ambassador accusing Israel and criticizing Western “hypocrisy”. [ynet.co.il]

  • Putin and Raisi agreed to promote cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, and Russia is expected to provide Iran with advanced military equipment, including fighter jets and air defense technologies. [ynet.co.il]

Sources: