Vladimir Putin meets with Iranian President Pezeshkian to celebrate “very close” ties

“Nuclear energy is not the only capability – strategic capabilities of concern – there are also cyber and space weapons,” he said.

Former President Donald Trump launched the US Space Force in August 2019 against Russia and China's capabilities in space.

“Russia has, again, one of the most powerful counterspace weapons in the world and a sophisticated and mature space warfare doctrine,” Koffler said.

Biden, the NATO chief, said a strong Obama response to the Crimea invasion could have prevented a war in Ukraine

“Nuclear weapons cannot work without satellites. Everything Iran has now, no matter how close it is to developing real capabilities, it can't do anything without a satellite network. You can't aim, you can't command. And control. , Missile warning, all those things, you can't deny an adversary's command and control capability, and that's what Russia can do and has probably provided to some extent to Iran, although there's no conclusive analysis.”

During the rally, Putin reportedly supported Pezeshkian's condemnation of Israel. Pezeshkian said Israel must “stop killing innocent people” and blamed the United States and the European Union for supporting Israel in the war.

The pair met on the sidelines of an international conference in Turkmenistan. According to state news agency RIA, Pezheshkian agreed to meet his counterpart in Russia.

“Economically and culturally, our contacts are getting stronger and stronger,” Pezeshkian told Putin, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

“The growing trend of cooperation between Iran and Russia, considering the will of the top leaders of both countries, must be accelerated to strengthen this relationship,” he said.

The meeting comes as Iran prepares to retaliate against Israel in response to an Israeli missile attack on Tel Aviv earlier this week.

Previously, Israel had close relations with Russia, but now Russia sees them as allies of the United States (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)

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According to Koffler, the meeting represents a complete overhaul for Putin, who in the past was “the most pro-Israel president in Russian history.” But both Russia and Iran face tough US sanctions

About 20% of Israel's Jewish population belongs to the Russian diaspora. “Traditionally, Jews are very intelligent, highly educated and highly employable. And because Russia has a demographic problem, Putin ideally wants these people, or their children, or their grandchildren, to return to Russia,” Koffler explained.

The Israeli prime minister initially resisted supplying weapons to Ukraine when Russia attacked. But the Pentagon last year used a little-known arsenal of U.S. weapons stored in Israel to help satisfy Ukraine's artillery requests.

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The United States offered more than $100 billion in arms aid to Ukraine during the war. Russia views Israel, which is armed with US supplies, as an American camp.

“It was not Iran that put pressure on Russia. Iran has no influence. Russia has always been the leader in this relationship,” said Koffler. “But it was Russia that pivoted toward Iran as a result of the Biden administration’s policies.”