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As Iran Attack Looms, Competing US, Russian Roles Surface
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with then-Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, Dec. 7, 2023. Photo: Sputnik/Sergei Bobylev/Pool via REUTERS
JNS.org – As tensions between Israel and the Iranian axis mount in the Middle East, the United States and Russia are playing increasingly prominent and competing roles in the region.
Russia’s dependence on Iran has significantly intensified in light of its ongoing war against Ukraine, which it appears to have recently repaid by helping the Islamic Republic increase its readiness for further direct conflict with Israel.
Faced with the depletion of its own missile stockpiles, Russia has turned to Iran for critical supplies. Iran has reportedly provided Russia with around 400 surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, including models from the Fateh-110 family, which are crucial for Russia’s operational capabilities. Additionally, Iran has supplied thousands of drones, notably the Shahed-136, which have been used extensively in Ukraine.
Iran’s support for Russia extends to significant production assistance. The Islamic Republic has helped establish a production factory on Russian soil dedicated to manufacturing 10,000 Iranian-designed drones a year, according to a February report by Defense One.
It appears as if the payback from Russia is materializing. According to a report by The New York Times on Tuesday, Russia has begun delivering advanced radars and air-defense equipment to Iran. There are also unconfirmed reports that Iran has received electronic warfare systems from Russia to enhance its defenses. Meanwhile, Tehran continues to press Russia to deliver SU-35 fighter jets.
At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly advised Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to exercise restraint following the July 31 assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Tehran has blamed Israel for the killing and threatened to retaliate. According to Reuters, Putin, through Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, recommended that Iran avoid striking Israeli civilian targets.
In Yemen, Russia’s involvement has deepened, with the Middle East Eye citing United States officials on Aug. 2 regarding the presence of Russian military intelligence in the country. Russian officers are reportedly advising the Houthis on targeting vessels in the Red Sea.
Parallel concerns have been raised about potential Russian arms supplies to the Houthis, as raised in a report by CNN the same day, with Russia reportedly canceling at the last minute plans to supply the Houthis with weapons. The Russian supplies were intended as a means of pressuring Washington over its support for Ukraine. The cancellation followed U.S. and Saudi pressure on Moscow, according to the report.
Russia’s support for Iran highlights its intent to counter U.S. influence and strengthen its foothold in the region, which is already significant due to Russia’s near decade-long military presence in Syria, on Israel’s doorstep.
Conversely, the United States has been attempting to stabilize the region through a mix of intensive diplomacy and a military presence which has mostly focused on defensive missions, with limited offensive strikes on Iran-backed forces in Yemen and Iraq.
In recent days, the United States has again boosted its military presence and posture in the Middle East. Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for the Middle East, visited Israel on Monday for joint situational assessments with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The three discussed defensive and offensive operational plans ahead of the expected Iranian-axis attack.
The Pentagon announced on Aug. 2 the deployment of additional military assets to the Middle East, including F-22 Raptor fighter jets, ballistic missile defense-capable Navy cruisers, and destroyers.
According to professor Robert Freedman, a leading U.S. expert on Israel, the Middle East and American foreign policy, “Russia does not want an Israeli-Iranian war, as it demonstrated in April.”
Such a war “would pose problems of choice for Russia and, most likely, interfere in Iranian arms deliveries to Russia,” he told JNS.
Freedman, who has advised policymakers in the State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Israeli Defense Ministry and the Israeli Foreign Ministry, added that, “Despite having an air base and a naval base in Syria, Russia simply does not have the firepower the United States has in the region.”
Indeed, he continued, “it has withdrawn some of its assets from Syria and its Black Sea fleet, badly hurt by Ukraine, seems bottled up there.”
Thus, “The display of U.S. power in the region will reassure U.S. allies, not just Israel, and may serve to deter Iran from a larger response to the Haniyeh assassination than they would have liked,” he said.
One thing appears clear going forward: As war continues to rage in both the Middle East and eastern Europe, the world appears to once again be witnessing the rise of global blocs locked in confrontation.
The post As Iran Attack Looms, Competing US, Russian Roles Surface first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.