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Russia’s Deal With Iran and Middle East Peace
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian meets with Russian Security Council’s Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 5, 2024. Photo: Iran’s Presidency/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
According to Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, Russia is close to signing a comprehensive treaty with Iran that will include defense cooperation. At the moment, there is no text of the agreement nor any detailed description of its actual contents.
Yet hidden behind the Russia-Iran deal is a bid by Russia to become the “peace broker” in the Middle East.
This would enhance Russia regionally and beyond, and would diminish the American position considerably. It is part and parcel of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s goal of attaining international credibility and acceptance two years after the start of Russia’s so-called “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine.
For decades, Russia has been trying to gain influence in Iran, including seeking bases in that country. While Iran has been willing to buy Russian military equipment, or to barter for it — and willing to sell drones and missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine — it has been unwilling to grant any bases. Iran appears to be sticking to that policy now, as there is no hint that Russia will get a military presence on Iranian territory.
Nor is there any suggestion that Russia would come to Iran’s aid if there was an attack on Iranian territory, provoked or unprovoked. In short, Russia is under no obligation to help Iran in case of war.
So, what is Russia hoping to achieve?
While Moscow surely wants to expand its influence in Iran, it also has important relations in the Persian Gulf that it not only wants to protect, but also expand. Major oil producers the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia are on this list.
The mechanism the Russians — and Chinese — are using to build relations with Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE is BRICS (an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and — later — South Africa), a group formed in 2001 of then-emerging economies.
Described as an “informal relationship,” it is focused mainly on economic and financial issues. Seeing an opportunity for expanded political as well as economic influence, in December 2023, the BRICS members invited a number of countries to join. Argentina declined after Javier Milei was elected president. Iran, the UAE, Ethiopia, and Egypt accepted — the last three being long-time US allies and commercial and military partners. Saudi Arabia was invited, but “delayed” a response. Under apparent pressure by the United States, the Saudis have neither confirmed nor denied their intentions.
For the recent BRICS meeting in Kazan, Russia, 38 countries were invited and 32 participated. A surprise participant was UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, which was seen as controversial, since the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, who hosted the meeting. Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister attended as an “observer.”
BRICS is moving toward establishing an alternative banking and currency system to the US-led currency system, known as Bretton Woods, which includes the SWIFT financial transaction processing system. In 2022, as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the US and EU imposed sanctions on a number of Russian banks, which were removed from the SWIFT system.
Meanwhile Turkey, a NATO member, has asked to join BRICS, and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the summit. Turkey has been furious with Europe, as the EU has consistently blocked Turkey from EU membership, based on human rights violations, rule of law, and other complaints. As Ankara increasingly turned eastward, Russia sold Turkey sensitive military equipment including the S-400 air defense system, and would like to sell more in future, especially fifth generation jet fighters.
With regard to Iran, the Russian strategy is to try and bring Iran into a “normal” relationship with the BRICS partners, while preserving and expanding Russian ties to traditional US friends in the Middle East and Europe. From Russia’s point of view, the BRICS partnership also offsets and undermines European and American sanctions leveled on Russia since the start of the Ukraine war.
But Russia may have other ambitions, hinted at by Putin himself.
Russia is quietly working at positioning itself as a “peace broker” between Iran and Israel. Despite its support for Iran and its presence in Syria, the Russians have consistently honored a deconfliction arrangement with Israel. This has meant Israel has had a free hand to knock out Syrian, Hezbollah, and Iranian assets in Syria without a Russian military response. Russia now wants to capitalize on its positive relations with both Israel and Iran, and Putin is quietly trying to push the Iranians to secretly seek some accommodation with Israel.
It may seem odd, as Russia has been an outspoken critic of Israel since 10/7 and never has been helpful in the UN or other institutions, but Russian policy is not about Israel or Iran, it is about Russia. And Putin. Netanyahu met with Putin and Zelensky in hopes of mediating the Ukraine war; Prime Minister Bennett did as well, making a surprise visit to Moscow during his short tenure. Even now, reports indicate that Israel seeks Russian participation in the Israel-Lebanon negotiations as a means of ensuring Iranian cooperation.
If Putin is successful, the Middle East and the world more broadly, would look considerably different — to the detriment of American interests, influence, and alliances.
Stephen D. Bryen is a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and Shoshana Bryen is Senior Director of The Jewish Policy Center and Editor of inFOCUS Quarterly.
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Surge of Antisemitic Incidents Rocks France Amid Growing Security Concerns
The Paris Holocaust Memorial, three synagogues, and a Jewish restaurant were all vandalized with green paint last weekend. Photo: Screenshot
France has been hit by a wave of antisemitic incidents in recent days, despite increased security at Jewish sites nationwide following last month’s antisemitic shooting in Washington, DC — prompting urgent calls from the country’s Jewish community for stronger government action amid growing fears of escalating violence.
On Friday, a French rabbi was violently assaulted by three drunken individuals in the town of Deauville, located in the Normandy region of northwestern France.
According to local police, Rabbi Eli Lemel — a prominent figure in French Jewry — was attacked around 3:30 pm by three men who approached him, repeatedly punched him in the stomach, and shouted antisemitic slurs.
French authorities have launched an investigation into the assault, but no arrests have been made so far.
After the incident, Lemel called on the Jewish community to draw spiritual strength amid the increasing hostility that Jews are facing across France.
“I’m deeply moved by the outpouring of support following the attack. Thank God, I’m okay,” the Jewish leader wrote in a post on X. “I was struck and verbally abused in a language I didn’t understand.”
In a separate incident, a 21-year-old man was arrested on Saturday after climbing a synagogue in the town of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine in north-central France, removing an Israeli flag from its façade, and attempting to set it on fire.
According to local media, the suspect — who was already known to authorities for prior offenses — confessed to committing the attack and admitted to being intoxicated at the time.
French police confirmed that the man is being charged with trespassing in a place of worship, theft by climbing, and causing damage to property on religious grounds.
The local Jewish community has voiced deep concern following this incident, viewing it as part of a broader surge in hostility targeting Jewish institutions across France.
Sandrine Dos Santos, the city’s mayor, expressed “[her] solidarity, as well as that of the city, toward the Jewish community directly targeted by these unacceptable antisemitic acts.”
“Faced with the increase in violence, our commitment against discrimination remains unwavering and will not waver. We repeat it loud and clear: no form of racism or rejection of others has a place in Poissy,” the French leader said.
In a separate incident on Saturday, three Serbs were arrested near Antibes in southeastern France, suspected of painting several Jewish community buildings green in Paris — an act currently under investigation as possible foreign interference.
Last weekend, the Paris Holocaust Memorial, three synagogues, and a Jewish restaurant were all vandalized with green paint in an incident denounced by the French government.
On Monday, an elementary school in Lyon, east-central France, was set on fire and defaced with antisemitic and pro-Palestinian slogans, as well as swastikas, marking one of the latest antisemitic incidents to impact France in recent days.
As the school had no direct connections to the Jewish community, local police have launched an investigation to determine the motive behind the attack.
French authorities reported that the fire was limited to the outdoor bathrooms, causing no significant damage to the school. They also found antisemitic graffiti and swastikas in three classrooms.
Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), denounced the attack, saying that “the Palestinian cause is used as justification for burning down a school” and that the “Nazification of Israel serves as fuel for crass antisemitism.”
“When a populist pro-Palestinian narrative is allowed to take hold, it is French Jews who ultimately pay the price,” Arfi wrote in a post on X. “The twisted use of the Palestinian cause is turning into a rallying cry of hatred against both Jews and the Republic itself.”
Voilà où nous en sommes !
La cause palestinienne sert de justification pour incendier une école
Quand on laisse gagner un discours populiste propalestinien, ce sont les Français juifs qui en paient le prix.… https://t.co/dMaQBnbfqi
— Yonathan Arfi (@Yonathan_Arfi) June 1, 2025
Beyond France, other European countries have also experienced a surge in antisemitic incidents in recent weeks.
On Monday, several headstones were vandalized at a Jewish cemetery in a suburb of Belgrade, located in north-central Serbia, marking the second such incident in the country in recent weeks.
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US Vetoes UN Security Council Demand for Gaza Ceasefire
Smoke rises from Gaza after an explosion, as seen from Israel, June 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
The United States vetoed a UN Security Council demand on Wednesday for an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire” between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza and unhindered aid access across the enclave.
“The United States has been clear we would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza,” Acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the council before the vote.
“This resolution would undermine diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire that reflects the realities on the ground, and embolden Hamas,” she said of the text that was put forward by 10 countries on the 15-member council.
The remaining 14 council members voted in favor of the draft resolution.
Israel has rejected calls for an unconditional or permanent ceasefire, saying Hamas cannot stay in Gaza. It has renewed its military offensive in Gaza – also seeking to free hostages held by Hamas – since ending a two-month ceasefire in March.
The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people in Israel in an Oct. 7 attack and took some 250 hostages back to the enclave.
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Trump Picks Lawyer Who Called Oct. 7 Attack a ‘Psyop’ to Lead Federal Watchdog Agency
Paul Ingrassia. Photo: Screenshot
Paul Ingrassia, a 29-year-old lawyer who was recently nominated by US President Donald Trump to lead a federal agency dedicated to combating corruption and protecting whistleblowers, seemingly dismissed the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2o23, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel as a “psyop,” or “psychological operation, in resurfaced social media posts.
“This ‘war’ is yet another psyop to distract Americans from celebrating Columbus Day,” Ingrassia wrote on X/Twitter on Oct. 8, 2023.
“I think we could all admit at this stage that Israel/Palestine, much like Ukraine before it, and BLM before that, and covid/vaccine before that, was another psyop,” he posted a week later. “But sadly, people fell for it. And they’ll fall for the next one too.”
On the actual day of the Oct. 7 massacre, Ingrassia compared illegal immigration into the US to the Hamas-led onslaught.
“The amount of energy everyone has put into condemning Hamas (and prior to that, the Ukraine conflict) over the past 24 hours should be the same amount of energy we put into condemning our wide open border, which is a war comparable to the attack on Israel in terms of bloodshed — but made worse by the fact that it’s occurring in our very own backyard,” he posted. “We shouldn’t be beating the war drum, however tragic the events may be overseas, until we resolve our domestic problems first.”
Trump announced last week that he picked Ingrassia to serve as head of the US Office of Special Counsel, a position that requires confirmation by the Senate.
The Office of Special Counsel is an independent federal ethics agency that works to ensure fairness and accountability within the government. Ingrassia’s role, if he is confirmed, would involve investigating claims of wrongdoing, such as retaliation against whistleblowers or improper political activity in the workplace. The official can recommend disciplinary action and reports serious findings to Congress, helping to protect federal employees and uphold the integrity of the civil service system.
Ingrassia also maintains a relationship with and defends alleged sex trafficker Andrew Tate, who has promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories on social media. Tate wrote on X/Twitter that he refuses to “listen to women, Mexicans, or Jews” and that Jewish people are “subverting Western populations into mass genetic suicide” by advancing what he described as misguided immigration policy. Tate has also accused Israel of committing a “genocide” in Gaza against Palestinians and engaged in Holocaust denialism.
The furor surrounding Ingrassia is the latest dustup the Trump administration has had regarding controversial personnel and antisemitism.
The Trump administration’s appointment of Kingsley Wilson as deputy press secretary at the Department of Defense also sparked widespread criticism due to her history of promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories and extremist views. Wilson, formerly associated with the Center for Renewing America, has a documented history of social media posts endorsing white supremacist ideologies, including claims about the 1915 lynching of Leo Frank — a Jewish man whose wrongful conviction and subsequent murder galvanized the founding of the Anti-Defamation League. In 2023, she tweeted that Frank “raped & murdered a 13-year-old girl,” a statement aligning with neo-Nazi narratives.
Late last month, the Pentagon announced that Wilson will be promoted and serve as the department’s new press secretary.
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