So far, efforts to weaken Russia’s relationship with Iran – not to mention its other major Middle Eastern ally, Syria – have repeatedly failed. In October, Russia’s United Nations ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, faulted the US-led initiative against the Islamic State for its failure to involve Iran and Syria, which he called “logical allies in the fight against terrorism in the region.”
双边安全合作也取得了进展，俄罗斯海军与伊朗里海舰队举行了为期三天的军事演习。目前，削弱俄罗斯和伊朗（更不用说它的另一个中东主要盟友叙利亚了）关系的努力一败再败。10月，俄罗斯驻联合国大使丘尔金（Vitaly Churkin）表示，美国所领导打击伊斯兰国行动不把伊朗和叙利亚包括在内是不妥的，他把这两个国家称为“打击地区恐怖主义的天然盟友”。