On Friday, the President of the United States Donald Trump guessed that Russian President Vladimir Putin may help Iran “a little.”
“I think, and maybe he thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?” said Trump, referring to help for Kyiv to defend against Moscow’s all-out invasion.
Iran and Russia have strengthened ties over the past decade to counter US opposition. Iran has been supplying Russia with its Shahed drones, which Moscow uses to conduct its war in Ukraine, until establish industries in Russia. The two countries also supported the dead regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
In 2021, Iran signed a 25-year deal economic cooperation agreement while Beijing, considering the sale of Iran’s rich oil reserves to China.
Araghchi in an interview on Saturday also talked about the turmoil in the main waterway Strait of Hormuzwhich runs along the coasts of Iran and Oman, and which is the way to reach one fifth of the world’s oil and gas. Tensions in the Straits have pushed the cost of oil to more than $100 a barrel and are threatening to collapse economies around the world.
Araghchi said that the Strait was closed to oil tankers and ships of “our enemies, to those who attack us and their allies.” Iran has been launch missiles at the countries of the Persian Gulfwhich are major suppliers to international hydrocarbon markets.
But, he added: “The Sea Gate is not closed. It is closed to ships and ships of the United States, Israel and not to others.”
