Tehran media warn of Moscow’s possible betrayal of Iran

The conservative Tehran newspaper Jomhouri Eslami has warned Iranian authorities that Moscow may sacrifice Iranian interests in exchange for concessions from Washington over the Ukraine conflict.

Referring to US-Russia negotiations over Ukraine that began earlier this week in Riyadh—talks that notably excluded Kyiv—the newspaper speculated on Wednesday that these discussions could lead to a Moscow-Washington agreement. Such a deal, it argued, might see Russia securing territorial gains in Ukraine in return for granting Washington more leverage to protect Israel’s interests in the Middle East.

“Iran will be drawn into this equation alongside Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Palestine… and Russia will turn a blind eye to any actions the United States may take against Iran,” the newspaper wrote in an editorial titled “Us and the Great Moscow-Washington Deal.” This editorial has been widely covered by other media outlets in Iran.

The article accused Russia of failing to support Iranian forces in Syria in the past when Israeli jets targeted their positions and of collaborating with the US and Israel against Iran’s ally, Bashar al-Assad, when Tahrir al-Sham militia forces made advances against his troops.

Jomhouri Eslami warned that Moscow could betray Iran again if Washington helps Russia emerge victorious in Ukraine. The paper urged Iranian authorities to remain vigilant and strategize ways to mitigate the consequences of such a deal.

A similar concern was raised by the reformist Shargh daily in an article titled “Will Tehran Be Sacrificed in a Trump-Putin Deal?” The publication urged Iranian authorities to swiftly decide whether to pursue direct negotiations with the United States over its nuclear program.

Foreign relations expert Rahman Ghahramanpour, interviewed by Shargh, suggested that any deal between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin would first impact European nations that have supported Ukraine. However, he acknowledged that Iran’s position could become a bargaining chip in future discussions, given Moscow’s role in Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Meanwhile, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov attempted to reassure Iran, stating in an exclusive interview with Iran’s official news agency (IRNA) on Wednesday that Moscow’s talks with the United States would not impact its relations with Tehran. Peskov confirmed that Iran’s nuclear program was mentioned in a February 12 phone call between Trump and Putin but insisted it was not a primary topic of discussion.

Peskov told IRNA that the cooperation between Iran and Russia was independent of the relations between the Kremlin and the White House. Peskov confirmed that Iran's nuclear program had been “mentioned” in the Trump and Putin’s phone call on February 12, but said it had not been a primary topic in the two presidents’ talk.

Iran faces a limited timeframe, as the European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal could invoke the “snapback” mechanism in October, reinstating UN sanctions lifted under the agreement. In an interview with RIA Novostiast last week, Russia’s envoy in Tehran, Alexey Dedov, emphasized the importance of Russia and China in any nuclear negotiations, stating, “Without Russia and China, such discussions will not reach their goals and will remain unproductive.”

Trump has signaled a preference for striking a deal with Tehran but has also made clear that, failing diplomatic progress, he would not hesitate to consider military options to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Iran has sought to deepen ties with Russia and China in line with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s “Look East” policy in the past few years. This approach, which hardliners have actively promoted, posits that closer relations with non-Western powers will bolster Iran’s development and resilience against US pressure and sanctions. However, economic sanctions imposed by Trump in 2018 have led to a deep economic crisis in Iran, without any decisive assistance by Russia and China.

Trump’s stance on the Ukraine war and the concessions he appears willing to make to Putin have been widely criticized by US politicians and media, including by some conservatives who fear that bypassing Kyiv in negotiations could have serious security implications for Ukraine and its European allies.