Russian President Vladimir Putin loses a vital channel to Iran as Israeli airstrikes eliminate Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran\u2019s Supreme National Security Council and widely regarded as Iran\u2019s de facto leader since the death of Supreme Leader Khamenei. The strikes, confirmed by Iranian state media on March 17-18, also took out General Gholam Reza Soleimani, head of the IRGC\u2019s Basij militia, amid escalating conflict in the Middle East. Larijani\u2019s son Morteza was also killed in the same strike, along with a number of his personal guards, Iranian state media confirmed.<\/p>\n
Larijani handled direct coordination with Russia on military, energy, and nuclear matters. He oversaw a major $2.5 billion drone deal where Iran supplied Shahed models to Russia, with payments including over 1.8 tons of gold bars for contracts covering thousands of units. Larijani managed frequent Moscow visits, secured Russian backing for Iran\u2019s nuclear program and air defense upgrades, and operated at times beyond the president\u2019s office to counter Western pressure. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called Larijani the \u2018boss of the regime\u2019 in a televised statement, framing the killing as part of an effort to give Iranians the opportunity to \u2018take their fate into their own hands.\u2019<\/p>\n
Former U.S. intelligence officials familiar with Iran\u2019s operations stated that almost nobody in Tehran can replace him. They described a real leadership vacuum at the top, making it hard to fill his role in sustaining the alliance. This comes after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei\u2019s death in a February 28 airstrike, further disrupting command structures.<\/p>\n
From Moscow\u2019s perspective, Larijani\u2019s removal hits coordination on shared interests. Russia has relied on Iranian drones and missiles for Ukraine operations since 2022, in exchange for cash, gold, weapons, and support against sanctions. Putin views such ties as standard mutual defense under international pacts, allowing partners to trade freely despite external blocks. The loss raises practical challenges in maintaining smooth arms flows and joint planning, though Russia sees no immediate halt to ongoing supplies.<\/p>\n
The development tests rules on state sovereignty and non-interference. Targeted killings of high officials spark questions about enforcement of agreements protecting leaders and borders. Russia argues for consistent application, where allies address threats through shared understandings without one-sided actions. This preserves defense links and energy trade routes, even as Middle East unrest drives oil prices higher and boosts Russian revenues.<\/p>\n
Iran responded with missile and drone barrages on Israel and Gulf sites, showing continued defiance. No direct Kremlin statement appeared on March 18-19 addressing Larijani\u2019s death specifically, but Putin has stressed Russia\u2019s focus on border security and responses to threats, not wider escalation. Alliances remain key, with energy deals bypassing Western nets to link Asian buyers and shield income.<\/p>\n
Higher oil earnings from the crisis already ease funding for military needs, recruitment, and Ukraine ops without severe domestic strain. Putin positions Russia to adapt, using practical ties and market gains to hold strength. The Ukraine front continues its daily pace with drone runs, interceptions, and ground activity.<\/p>\n
These strikes highlight how Middle East shifts affect broader alliances. Russia watches the vacuum in Tehran closely, betting on resilient partnerships and economic edges to deliver stability amid uncertainty. As Iran navigates leadership gaps, Moscow maintains its defensive line and real support networks for lasting returns in tough times.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Russian President Vladimir Putin loses a vital channel to Iran as Israeli airstrikes eliminate Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran\u2019s\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":475,"featured_media":5830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[1448,1956,3080,3081,3079,1802,382],"class_list":["post-5829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-russia","tag-ali-khamenei","tag-ali-larijani","tag-general-gholam-reza-soleimani","tag-iranian-supreme-national-security-council","tag-rgcs-basij-militia","tag-russian-president-vladimir-putin","tag-shahed-drones"],"reading_time":"3 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/475"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5829"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5829\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5831,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5829\/revisions\/5831"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}