Russian president Vladimir Putin and senior defence official Sergei Shoigu received Iran’s national security council chief Ali Akbar Ahmadian in St. Petersburg on Thursday in a sign of deepening ties between the heavily sanctioned powers.
The Russian leader praised Iran’s Supreme Leader for boosting relations according to a readout of the meeting carried by Russian state media, two days after the United States and European allies hit Iran with new sanctions for alleged transfer of missiles to Russia.
Putin credited Ali Khamenei for expanding relations between the countries and thanked new president Masoud Pezeshkian for committing to closer relations with Russia.
Iran and Russia have deepened their ties in the years since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, in which Russian forces have unleashed hundreds of Iranian drones on military and civilian targets.
Both countries are heavily sanctioned by the West and appear to be edging towards a “strategic partnership” pact mooted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier this month.
Ahmadian was hosted on the sidelines of a meeting among top national security officials from BRICS countries ahead of the group’s 2024 summit in Kazan, Russia in October.
Pezeshkian is due to attend the summit and hold bilateral meetings with Putin in Moscow to sign the bilateral treaty, Iranianian media reports say.
Earlier this week, the US and the E3 (Britain, France, Germany) said they had evidence, which they did not immediately release publicly, that Iran had shipped missiles to Russia and sanctioned Iranian individuals and entities including state carrier Iran Air.
Iran and Russia have denied any missile shipments. Reports of an Iranian missile transfers are inaccurate, Kremlin's spokesperson Dimitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
Iran's foreign ministry on Thursday summoned the envoys of Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands to protest the sanctions according to Mizan, the news agency of Iran’s judiciary.
The target of the mission was believed to be an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) site responsible for the development of ballistic missiles and drones, as well as providing logistical support to Iran's terror proxies including Hezbollah, wrote the Times of Israel.
The operation saw a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted military sites in central Syria late Sunday, leaving at least 14 people dead and 43 others wounded. Fires erupted at several locations, with local Syrian media initially reporting that a scientific research center in Masyaf had been hit, a site long linked to the Syrian regime's manufacture of chemical weapons and precision missiles in collaboration with Iranian forces.
The recent reports suggest that Israeli ground forces were involved for the first time in the operation. According to the opposition-affiliated Syria TV network, Israeli helicopters hovered above Syrian soil as special forces rappelled down ropes to the ground. Violent clashes reportedly ensued, leading to the deaths of several Syrian troops, and the capture of two to four Iranian personnel. On Thursday, IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency denied reports that any Iranians have been captured in Syria.
Channel 12 news cited researcher Eva J. Koulouriotis, who reported via Twitter that Israeli forces not only engaged in combat but successfully entered the facility, seizing critical equipment and documents.
Before retreating, they reportedly planted explosives, ensuring the complete destruction of the plant. Koulouriotis also stated that roads leading to the facility were targeted with airstrikes to prevent Syrian reinforcements from arriving in time.
In addition to the Iranian weapons facility, a Russian communications center was reportedly targeted during the operation. Al Hurra, a US-owned network, echoed the reports, noting the intensity of the strikes and the unusually high death toll.
The Masyaf region, located west of Hama, has long been associated with Iranian forces and pro-Iranian militias, and has been the site of numerous airstrikes attributed to Israel in recent years.
Home to the Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS or SSRC), it is a facility Western officials believe is used to manufacture chemical weapons, including sarin gas. Syria has consistently denied the accusations.
While the precise details of the raid remain unconfirmed and Israel has yet to comment on the reports, the operation aligns with Israel's ongoing strategy of targeting Iranian military infrastructure in Syria.
Israel has been vocal about its intent to prevent Iran from establishing a permanent military presence in Syria, and strikes on IRGC-linked sites are seen as part of this broader strategy.
The raid also underscores the growing complexity of the conflict in Syria, where multiple actors—including the Syrian regime, Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia—maintain overlapping interests and military assets.
The revelations were reported by the Post on Thursday. One particular case involved Pouria Zeraati, an exiled Iranian journalist working for Iran International, a London-based satellite news channel that broadcasts to millions in Iran, wrote the Washington Post. In March 2023, Zeraati was ambushed and stabbed outside his home in Wimbledon by attackers who were not Iranian nationals and had no apparent ties to Iran’s intelligence services.
Instead, British investigators revealed that the assailants were Eastern European criminals hired by Tehran, underscoring how Iran has started outsourcing its plots to foreign criminals in order to avoid Western scrutiny.
“We’re not dealing with the usual suspects,” said Matt Jukes, head of counterterrorism policing in the UK. “What we’ve got is a hostile state actor that sees the battlefield as being without borders, and individuals in London are as legitimate as targets as if they were in Iran.” The attack on Zeraati, which he survived after being stabbed four times, was a warning to critics of the Iranian government that its reach is global, and its threats deadly.
According to the article, for years, Iran has been one of the world’s most determined practitioners of “transnational repression,” a term used to describe the actions of governments that use violence, intimidation, and surveillance against their own citizens abroad.
However, its reliance on criminal proxies, gangs, mafia organizations, and narco-traffickers, marks a shift in how it carries out these missions. By outsourcing assassination attempts and abductions, the Islamic Republic shields itself from direct blame and makes it harder for Western intelligence agencies to connect the dots.
The use of criminal syndicates has allowed Iran to carry out operations with relative ease. Zeraati’s attackers, for example, passed through security at Heathrow Airport, tracked him for days, and fled the country hours after the attack. Tehran’s outsourcing model has included groups such as the Russian mob network “Thieves in Law,” and the Hells Angels, known for their involvement in drug trafficking and organized crime across North America and Europe, added the report.
In some cases, these hired hands have been instructed to carry out grotesque acts of violence, such as a failed plot in Maryland where Hells Angels members were contracted to assassinate a former Iranian military officer living in the United States.
In July 2022, a gunman appeared at the Brooklyn home of Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad, later identified as Khalid Mehdiyev, a member of the sprawling criminal network known as "Thieves in Law." This organization operates under a mafia-style code of honor to which its members are strictly bound.
Mehdiyev was arrested after being stopped for a traffic violation near Alinejad’s residence. Upon searching his vehicle, police discovered an AK-47, 66 rounds of ammunition, and a ski mask, according to a US indictment.
Iran’s partnership with the Hells Angels and other criminal gangs is partly born out of necessity. According to Western officials, the government’s own operatives face increasing scrutiny and surveillance from intelligence services, limiting their ability to conduct missions abroad. By turning to these criminal groups, the Islamic Republic circumvents the obstacles while tapping into networks that are already embedded in the West.
In 2021, US officials uncovered a plot involving two Hells Angels members hired to kill an Iranian defector and his wife in Maryland. Their orders, originating from an Iranian heroin kingpin named Naji Sharifi Zindashti, included instructions to make the killing especially brutal. One hitman was told to “erase his head from his torso.” While this plot failed after the assassins were caught, it highlights how far Iran is willing to go to silence those it sees as traitors.
Zindashti, a central figure in Iran’s outsourcing of assassinations, has been described as a “Pablo Escobar-type” drug trafficker. His operations span continents, and his criminal empire has become deeply intertwined with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS). He is believed to have orchestrated multiple killings and kidnappings on behalf of Tehran, including the 2020 abduction and execution of Habib Chaab, an Iranian-Swedish political activist.
According to the Washington Post, these outsourced plots have extended far beyond Iranian exiles. Iran has also been implicated in attacks and threats against US and Israeli officials, Jewish communities in Europe, and LGBTQ+ activists. In 2022, a Pakistani man with ties to Iran attempted to hire a hitman to assassinate American political figures, possibly including former President Donald Trump. The US Justice Department has repeatedly warned that Iran is the most dangerous state sponsor of transnational repression, with its lethal tactics being carried out at unprecedented levels.
Despite Iran’s denials, Western intelligence services have compiled extensive evidence linking the Islamic Republic to these attacks. Since the 1979 revolution, Iran has used violence to suppress dissent, but the scale of its current campaign is without precedent. “We’re seeing a major escalation in lethal plotting from a government that has used this tactic from the outset,” said Matthew Levitt, a counterterrorism expert at the Washington Institute.
Masoud Pezeshkian’s vision to remove borders between Islamic countries comes across as an unrealistic proposition in spite of framing it as a solution to strengthen ties among Islamic nations and counteract Western sanctions, mainly affecting Iran.
The Islamic president failed to acknowledge the intricate web of illegal activities that thrive at the borders. For years, Iran has been at the center of illicit smuggling networks, ranging from narcotics to weapons, that have destabilized not only its own economy but those of its neighbors.
Observers say Pezeshkian’s rhetoric dismisses the truth that removing the borders would not create the utopian unity he envisions but would instead exacerbate the already rampant flow of narcotics and illegal goods.
Iran has long been a hub for drug trafficking, particularly with its proximity to Afghanistan, one of the world’s largest producers of opium. The smuggling routes that traverse Iran’s eastern and western borders bring vast quantities of heroin and other narcotics into the region, causing immense harm to public health and economic stability in Iran and the region.
Beyond narcotics, smuggling of goods, especially dollars, has been an issue for Iran. Pezeshkian’s government, facing international sanctions, has increasingly relied on its proxy forces in countries like Iraq to funnel dollars back into Iran. This has led to severe economic instability in Iraq, with the US imposing restrictions on Iraqi banks to curb the illegal dollar trade.
The result has been a dual exchange rate system and skyrocketing inflation in Iraq, which has spurred public protests and deepened the country’s economic crisis.
The president’s speech also neglected the security threats, and terrorism that exist due to Iran’s own destabilizing actions in the region. For years, Iran has created and supported proxy militias in countries like Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, contributing to civil conflicts and power struggles. In Iraq, these groups have political power and control over key institutions, making it difficult for any genuine economic or political unity to be achieved.
Middle Eastern nations are generally very protective of their borders, mainly concerned about their security potentially threatened by state and non-state actors.
Meanwhile, informed sources have told Iran International that in a meeting Iraq’s foreign minister strongly opposed Masoud Pezeshkian’s proposal for settling Baghdad’s debt to Tehran using a joint currency during a lengthy meeting. Iraq insists that Iran can only receive its payments by purchasing non-sanctioned goods from the country.
Sources said that during Pezeshkian’s meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, Pezeshkian requested that Iraq settle its debt to Iran using "a joint currency similar to the Russia-Iraq project."
The meeting, which lasted about 40 minutes longer than scheduled, saw Iraq’s foreign minister firmly reject Pezeshkian’s proposal. The Iraqi side argued that settling the debt based on Pezeshkian’s suggestion could weaken the value of the Iraqi dinar.
On Thursday, Pezeshkian arrived in Erbil for his first official visit to the Kurdistan Region since taking office in July. Upon his arrival at Erbil International Airport, Pezeshkian was welcomed by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, as part of his wider tour of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
During his visit, Pezeshkian is set to hold separate meetings with key Kurdish leaders, including Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.
While households are already struggling to provide for basic needs like food and clothing, Tehran has already seen new bread prices announced, showing a sharp rise in costs. The price of lavash, a common flatbread, has climbed by roughly 40 percent, while the popular Sangak has seen a 66 percent jump.
The prices have been approved by the Ministry of Interior, according to Fatemeh Nazari, the head of the Tehran Traditional Bakers Union.
The price hikes have been seen across the board for Iranians, one in three now living below the poverty line, affecting the likes of school supplies and transportation. As children return to school after summer break, parents are already reeling from a 35 percent rise in stationery prices and a 45 percent increase in school bus fees.
While the minimum wage in Iran hovers around $120 per month, this is simply not enough to meet the rising costs of daily living, especially for families with children, most incomes being drained by rental costs.
Meanwhile, Iran’s leadership, disconnected from the realities faced by its citizens, continues to push for higher birth rates despite the fact that most cannot afford to sustain even their current number of dependents.
Iran’s leadership, disconnected from the realities faced by its citizens, continues to push for more children in families, despite the fact that most cannot afford to sustain even their current number of dependents.
Fuel price hike looms amid confusion and contradiction
Iranians may soon face a further rise in gasoline prices while the government is currently rationing fuel. There have been mixed messages from government officials, with some calling for an increase to bring domestic fuel prices in line with global standards, while others warn that such a move could spark unrest.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has criticized Iran’s low fuel prices, but officials like Abdolnasser Hemmati, Minister of Economy, have cautioned against the shock such a price hike would inflict on a society already on edge. Despite the warnings, Iran’s ruling elites, who remain insulated from the economic crisis engulfing the nation, seem to be inching closer to a decision that could push more people to the breaking point.
As rations remain in place, most gas stations across the country are refusing to sell gasoline to the public, stating that only those with remaining rations can fill their vehicles, while there is no gasoline available for those who have exhausted their 60-liter quota.
Economist Ahmad Alavi told Iran International that the government’s lack of a transparent economic policy only deepens the crisis.
"If the decisions related to increasing gasoline prices are implemented inefficiently or delayed due to execution issues, this could lead to greater contradictions within the government and public dissatisfaction," he said.
