"Russian Collaboration in the Iranian conflict?" by A.J. P.

It is no secret that the Russian Federation has political ties to Iran, but to what extent would the Kremlin disturb the escalating political, religious, and militaristic conflict that is occurring in the Middle East? For decades, Russia, or formerly the Soviet Union, has been continuously involved in conflict in the region starting with the USSR’s refusal to vacate Iran following the end of the Second World War as well as the long and bloody war in Afghanistan. In addition to being a frequent visitor to the region, Russia is also one of the primary suppliers of weaponry. Albeit not recently, the Russians have supplied weapons of war to many Middle Eastern nations. The Iranian army wields Russian-made AKM rifles and T-72 Main Battle Tanks.

Russia’s long history with Iran aside, what kind of involvement do they have in the most recent escalation of tensions? According to Brookings.edu, “Moscow’s expanding influence in Syria suggests that a conflict between the United States and Iran could advance Russia’s power and reputation in the region. At the very least, Russia will be able to paint the United States as an erratic aggressor, leading regional actors and international allies to question cooperation with Washington.” Basically, a US-Iran conflict would lead local powers in that region to distrust the US, giving the Russians a diplomatic edge over a potential rivalry in Washington.

Following the termination of Iran’s top general and terrorist leader, Qassem Soleimani, relations between the United States and the Iranians took a deep dive. After Iran fired ballistic missiles at the US in Iraq, they were expecting a counter-attack, and mistook a civilian Ukrainian passenger airliner for a retaliatory strike by US stealth aircraft. After the Iranians shot down a Ukrainian plane with many ethnic Russians on board, it would be ludicrous for the Kremlin to justify and defend Iran’s inept and foolish action, right?

Apparently not. On January 17th, almost a week after the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 was knocked out of the sky, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov released a statement claiming that Iran was spooked by the presence of six American F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters near Iran’s borders. This information, however, has not been confirmed by US officials, and is yet to be verified. This is anything but justification for Iran blindly shooting down a civilian airliner, however. The truth is there is virtually no way that the Iranians actually had viable intelligence of US aircraft in the area. It is far from likely that they even have the technology capable of detecting such an advanced aircraft. It all depends on the aircraft’s radar cross-section, or RCS, basically the size of the object that is the plane would appear on radar. According to globalsecurity.org, “The 5th Generation F-35 has an RCS of 0.005m2, about the size of a golf ball.” Virtually undetectable by any technology the Iranians have in their arsenal. This even more raises questions. Iran had zero proof that there were actually American aircraft around. What prompted the Russians to look for justification behind their actions? It would be best suited for Russia to stay neutral in a US- Iran conflict that could escalate quickly. They have no business supporting the dishonorable act committed by Iran.

F-35 Fighters

It does raise eyebrows as to Russia’s take on the entire situation. Why would they seemingly try to find justification for Iran’s actions when the Iranians shot down a plane with Ukrainian Citizens, perhaps formerly Russian citizens, onboard?

It is also alarming that Russia has multiple times condemned the US drone strike that took out Iranian general and terror leader Qassem Soleimani. Why would Russia stand against the termination of a man who has killed thousands of innocent people? Is it simply just a showing of strength by the Kremlin? Regardless, the whole situation would do nothing but worsen if Russia begins to take the side of Iran. They would be best not to stand in the way of the well prepared and best-equipped military force on the face of the planet.

Works Cited

Pike, John. “Military.” Radar Cross Section (RCS), www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/stealth-aircraft-rcs.htm.

Reuters. “Russia Says Iran Was Spooked by Reports of US F-35s When It Downed Airliner.” Task & Purpose, Task & Purpose, 17 Jan. 2020, taskandpurpose.com/russia-says-iran-spooked-f35.

Talbott, Strobe, and Maggie Tennis. “The Only Winner of the US-Iran Showdown Is Russia.” Brookings, Brookings, 8 Jan. 2020, www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2020/01/09/the-only-winner-of-the-us-iran-showdown-is-russia/.