Iran’s New Ambassador to Moscow Breaks Ranks, Criticizes Russia’s Inaction

Iran’s New Ambassador to Moscow Breaks Ranks, Criticizes Russia’s Inaction

Iran’s newly appointed ambassador to Moscow has publicly criticized its strategic ally, Russia, for remaining silent while Iran faces aggression from the United States and Israel. In an interview with Shargh newspaper and the IRNA news agency, Nema Essei—Iran’s first ambassador to the Soviet Union—forcefully condemned what he called Russia’s inaction, stating that Moscow would have to answer to history for its silence. "Russia is capable of doing more, but unfortunately, in my opinion, it is not doing enough," Essei said.

He suggested that Moscow’s "unprecedented restraint" may be driven by its own interests, including higher oil revenues following the easing of U.S. sanctions on Russia, the global focus on Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the depletion of NATO’s military resources. Essei added that it is unacceptable for such a large-scale war to take place in a neighboring region involving a country like Iran, yet Russia—for whatever reason—has not focused on Iran and continues to use other excuses not to react.

These remarks stand in contrast to Tehran’s official stance. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi traveled to Russia in late April to meet with Vladimir Putin, describing the bilateral relationship as a strategic partnership at the highest level. Putin emphasized that Moscow would do everything possible to help Iran and noted receiving a message from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Russia has officially condemned U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran as unprovoked armed aggression and a betrayal of diplomacy.

However, beyond such statements, Moscow has provided no direct military support—no weapons, missile defense systems, or diplomatic initiatives to resolve the crisis. Despite Western media claims (including from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies) that Russia may have shared satellite intelligence or access to captured U.S. rocket technology, Iran’s ambassador to Moscow, Qasem Jalali, denied any Russian military or intelligence assistance during the conflict.

On the nuclear front, Russia has reportedly proposed keeping enriched uranium within Iran during talks with other parties—an idea Iran is negotiating with the U.S., which does not prioritize the uranium issue. Alexei Likhachev, head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, said Russia is the only country with a positive track record of dealing with Iran and is ready to facilitate uranium transfer, though Iran has shown little interest.

Despite a 20-year strategic partnership agreement signed in 2025, the deal excludes direct military operations. A senior IRGC official said in January 2025 that Iran had ordered 35 Russian Su-35 fighter jets, but no deliveries have been confirmed. On Iranian social media—especially among opponents of the regime—Russia has faced widespread mockery over the inadequacy of systems like the S-400. The recent war has exposed a gap between Tehran’s expectations and Moscow’s a