- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday — a meeting that underscored the trilateral relationship between Russia, China, and Iran.
- Iran is a geopolitical lever for both Moscow and Beijing, allowing them to complicate Western strategies in the Middle East, even as they balance support for Iran with broader regional interests.
- If the U.S. brokered ceasefire collapses and the conflict continues to intensify, Russia and China would face a strategic dilemma.
- While useful as a pressure point against U.S. dominance and a shield for economic survival under sanctions, the Iran-Russia-China alliance is limited in scope.