US Says Iran Risks Dependency on Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during a joint press conference with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts following their summit in Tehran ATTA KENARE AFP
Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during a joint press conference with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts following their summit in Tehran ATTA KENARE AFP
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US Says Iran Risks Dependency on Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during a joint press conference with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts following their summit in Tehran ATTA KENARE AFP
Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during a joint press conference with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts following their summit in Tehran ATTA KENARE AFP

The United States on Wednesday warned Iran that it risked dependency on an isolated Russia after it welcomed President Vladimir Putin, although the CIA chief acknowledged the two nations have uneasy ties.

Putin on Tuesday visited Tehran for a three-way summit with his counterparts from Iran and Turkey that was nominally about conflict-ridden Syria, AFP said.

On the sidelines of the summit, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called for "long-term cooperation" with Russia, even though Tehran earlier tried to show its neutrality by abstaining from a key UN vote on condemning Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

"Iran has now cast its lot with a small number of countries who wore that veil of neutrality only to end up supporting President Putin in his war against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

The United States recently released intelligence purporting to show Russian delegations visiting Iran to assess combat drones as it looks to bolster its arsenal against Western arms in Ukraine.

But Price signaled that Iran's return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal -- backed by President Joe Biden after his predecessor Donald Trump trashed it -- would start a new "economic relationship with other countries around the world."

Negotiations have been deadlocked in part over Iranian demands that Biden lift Trump's designation of the powerful Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group.

Despite the US criticism of Iran's summit, CIA chief Bill Burns -- who as a diplomat helped broker the Iran deal and served as ambassador to Moscow -- said Iran and Russia were reaching out to each other primarily because they are both "looking to break out of political isolation" and are under sanctions.

"But if they need each other, they don't really trust each other in the sense that they are energy rivals and historical competitors," Burns said at the Aspen Security Forum.

Moscow has a long history of intervention in Iran, occupying the key northern city of Tabriz in the early 20th century and joining Britain in an invasion of the country in 1941.

- No sign that Putin ill -
Burns, a Russian speaker who served as ambassador early in Putin's tenure, was quietly sent to Moscow last year in an unsuccessful attempt to dissuade him from invading Ukraine.

Burns, noting that he has dealt with Putin over two decades, described the Russian leader as having "a very combustible mix of grievance and ambition and insecurity."

"He is not a big believer in the better angels of the human spirit," Burns said.

"He is convinced that his destiny as Russia's leader is to restore Russia as a great power," he said.

Asked about periodic media reports suggesting Putin is ill, Burns retorted: "There are lots of rumors about President Putin's health and, as far as we can tell, he is apparently too healthy."



Reactions to the ICC warrants

An exterior view of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, 21 November 2024. EPA/REMKO DE WAAL
An exterior view of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, 21 November 2024. EPA/REMKO DE WAAL
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Reactions to the ICC warrants

An exterior view of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, 21 November 2024. EPA/REMKO DE WAAL
An exterior view of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, 21 November 2024. EPA/REMKO DE WAAL

These are reactions to the International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Ibrahim al-Masri, who is believed to be dead.

The warrants are for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel's military campaign in Gaza since then.

ISRAEL:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office:
"Israel rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions leveled against it by ICC," the office said, calling the move antisemitic.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog:
"The decision chose the side of terrorism and evil over democracy and freedom and turned the international justice system itself into a human shield for Hamas' crimes against humanity."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar:
"A dark moment for the International Criminal Court," Saar said, adding the court had "lost all legitimacy" and adding that it had issued "absurd orders without authority".

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid:
"Israel defends its life against terrorist organizations that attacked, murdered and raped our citizens, these arrest warrants are a reward for terrorism."

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich:
"Israel will continue to defend its citizens and its security with determination," he said, urging Netanyahu to sever contact with the court and impose sanctions on the Palestinian Authority and its leaders "to the point of its collapse".

Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir:
"The International Criminal Court in The Hague shows once again that it is antisemitic through and through."

PALESTINIANS:

Hamas official statement:
"We call on the International Criminal Court to expand the scope of accountability to all criminal occupation leaders."

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim:
"This is an important step on the path to justice and bringing justice to the victims but it remains a limited and spiritual step if it is not backed practically by all countries."

UNITED STATES:
Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President-elect Trump: "The Court is a dangerous joke. It is now time for the US Senate to act and sanction this irresponsible body."

EUROPE:
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the ICC warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant are not political and the court decision should be respected and implemented.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp told parliament, "The Netherlands obviously respects the independence of the ICC," adding: "We won't engage in non-essential contacts and we will act on the arrest warrants. We fully comply with the Rome Statute of the ICC," he added.

France's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine said the French reaction to the warrants would be "in line with ICC statutes" but declined to say whether France would arrest the leader if he came to the country. "It's a point that is legally complex," he said.

Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said, "It is important that the ICC carries out its mandate in a judicious manner. I have confidence that the court will proceed with the case based on the highest fair trial standards."

Ireland's Prime Minister Simon Harris called the warrants "an extremely significant step" and added that Ireland respects the role of the ICC and anyone in a position to assist it in carrying out its vital work must do so "with urgency".

MIDDLE EAST:
Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the ICC rulings should be respected and implemented, adding that "Palestinians deserve justice".