This story was produced by students from Stony Brook University in May, 2026.

A Disillusioned Partner

Following the June 2025 ceasefire in the Twelve-Day War, as a coordinated Israeli bombing campaign crippled Iranian nuclear facilities and energy installations while killing numerous political officials, Iran and its leadership could not mask their disappointment with Russia.

The two nations developed a partnership grounded in arms exchanges, joint opposition to Western sanctions, and shared adversaries. But after supplying thousands of missiles and over 300,000 artillery shells to Russia throughout the war in Ukraine, Tehran merely received private phone calls and a swift statement of condemnation by Moscow’s foreign ministry. 

In the months following the conflict, Iran’s leadership aired its frustrations openly. In a television broadcast cited by The Atlantic, President Masoud Pezeshkian said, “Some countries that are considered our friends did not help us during the days of war.” 

Russia’s hesitance to reciprocate previous cooperation and comments from Iranian officials raise questions about the asymmetry of the partnership, given that Iran has continued and deepened its cooperation with Russia since the Twelve-Day War. With both nations entangled in conflicts that hold lasting global repercussions, assessing their relationship under wartime pressure highlights their attempts to challenge the existing global hierarchy. 

Some experts situate Russia and Iran within an “Axis of Upheaval,” a group that includes China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea and is also known by the acronym “CRINK.”  

“These are four countries that are united in their discontent with the United States, who are united in their desire to weaken U.S. power and global influence, and who really want to overturn the U.S.-led order,” said Dr. Andrea Kendall-Taylor, senior fellow and director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. 

Other experts like Phyllis Bennis, director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, believe that CRINK as an ideologically aligned association does not exist. 

“We can talk about their relationships with each other on a bilateral basis, but the notion of one big happy or not-so-happy CRINK, I think, is a distraction from the real world,” Bennis said. 

Still others contend that the relationships between these countries are largely a series of bilateral relationships. 

“This is a transactional relationship. It's not a unified bloc. And we can see that each country is pursuing its own national interests when it comes to this relationship,” said Dr. Kelly Grieco, senior fellow with the Reimagining U.S. Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center. 

Although these countries may support each other strategically, economically, or militarily, conflicting priorities may still exist among the CRINK nations. 

Russia has provided helicopters to Iran, yet there’s still hesitancy with providing more advanced weapons from their arsenal. 

“The Russians have provided some kinds of military technology—helicopters, for example, to the Iranians, some aircraft equipment—but they haven't provided some of the most advanced surface-to-air missiles that they have in their arsenal, which suggests that there is some reticence there about providing that kind of technology,” Grieco said. 

Russia and Iran’s relationship changed significantly during the Ukraine War. 

Iran’s primary support to Russia has been through the sharing of Shahed drones. In Aug. 2022, 6 months after the start of the war, Russia received its first shipment of combat drones from Iran. Russia relied on them to replenish its rapidly declining supply of air and sea-launched cruise missiles which depended on a shrinking stock of imported electric components. Due to Western sanctions, those electronic parts became harder to obtain, resulting in Russia’s reliance on the Shahed drones as they are much cheaper and easier to manufacture. 

Iran’s drone technology gave Tehran an opportunity to prove its value to Russia. Kendall-Taylor said, “When Russia invaded Ukraine, Iran saw an opportunity to increase its leverage in that partnership. They became a much more valuable partner to Russia. And so the provision of drones was a way to prove the value of that relationship.” 

Iran’s support through drone technology has ultimately strengthened Russia’s military capabilities while also deepening their strategic partnership. 

Russia’s economic, diplomatic, and military power seemingly made it the unquestionable senior partner in the relationship. “But after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and became highly dependent on drones to fight its war, there, we saw a dramatic reversal, something that I think many people believe they would never see in their lifetime, which is that Iran went from being a purchaser of Russian military equipment to Russia, becoming a purchaser of Iranian military equipment, specifically in the realm of drones,” Pollack said. 

The Shahed drones had a pivotal role in striking Ukrainian civilians and military targets. Russia and Eurasia defense and security issues expert Dara Massicot explains that the drones are inflicting serious damage on Ukraine's critical infrastructure, essential systems and facilities that are necessary for the country to function, while placing strain on their defenses. 

While the drones provided Russia with an immediate military advantage on the battlefield, their significance strengthened their relationship. Iran’s support became valuable because it advanced Russia’s larger strategic objective in sustaining its war effort in Ukraine. 

When Iran stepped in to bolster a depleted Russia’s battlefield capabilities, it encouraged Moscow to double down on its full-scale invasion. Within years of receiving blueprints for Iran’s Shahed drones, Russia had developed its own manufacturing infrastructure, building self-sufficient factories to produce drones at an accelerated rate. 

According to a CNN report drawing on political analysts and intelligence officials, an estimated 90% of Iranian-designed drones used in Russia’s military operations are now manufactured domestically within Russia. What was once an exclusively Iranian-sourced product has now proliferated to Russia and even North Korea. 

“They’ve essentially severed that dependency on Iran,” Grieco said, “and they did that very quickly, which I think is telling of something about the nature of the relationship.” 

Russia has also modified the Shahed drones based on its battlefield experience. 

However, a year later, when Tehran found itself in conflict with the United States, Russia completely reversed its stance during the Twelve-Day War. Iran was backed into a corner after a joint American-Israeli military attack inflicted widespread damage on its military and defense infrastructure. When Tehran retaliated by closing the Strait of Hormuz, Russia backed Iran with its upgraded, unjammable drones and imagery from spy satellites. 

Nevertheless, while Moscow appears to be reciprocating Tehran’s support at a critical juncture—after largely remaining passive throughout the Twelve-Day War—it’s plausible to assume that Russia’s engagement is driven by its own transactional self-interest, as its eyes are keenly set on Ukraine. 

Taking this into account, it wouldn’t be a stretch to presume that Russia would welcome a prolonged conflict, potentially capitalizing on Tehran’s increasing dependence on Moscow. 

“There’s no question the Russians are benefiting from this war,” Pollack said. “I think if it were up to them, they’d love to see this war go on as long as possible.” 

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