The war on Iran has inflicted wide-ranging human, infrastructure, economic and diplomatic damage, with the U.S., Iran, Gulf states and countries around the world feeling the harm. But according to a growing chorus of experts, one of the few nations to directly benefit from the conflict is Russia.
“Hard for Trump to get out of a war that is making so much money for Putin,” tweeted renowned historian Timothy Snyder, reflecting sentiments that not only is Russia benefiting from the war, but the suspicion expressed by many that President Donald Trump is to some degree working on the longtime-U.S. adversary’s behalf.
For years, there have been suggestions that Trump may be operating as a Russian asset pushing its agenda, with one ex-KGB agent going so far as to claim that the idea to run for president was given to him during a 1987 visit to the Soviet Union. Trump returned from the trip and began exploring a presidential run, even holding a rally. At the time, Trump ran a full-page open letter in several leading newspapers where he voiced his early skepticism at NATO and asserted that “America should stop paying to defend countries that can afford to defend themselves.” Russia was thrilled by all of this.
While some experts claim that Trump is knowingly working on Russia’s behalf, others argue that he is more of a “useful idiot,” unwittingly taking actions that end up benefiting the Kremlin. Whatever the case, there is ample evidence that Trump’s war on Iran is directly helping Russia in a variety of ways.
First, when the closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices skyrocketing, the U.S. relaxed sanctions on Russian oil to ease the market, allowing the country to take in hundreds of millions and perhaps soon billions of dollars in oil revenues. It received this financial boon at a moment when it was desperately needed to support its ongoing assault on Ukraine. At the same time, the mobilization of the U.S. in the Persian Gulf not only drew its military attention away from Ukraine but diverted armaments that were vital for Kyiv’s fight against Russia.
Then there are diplomatic and realpolitik considerations. As Trump has soured and severed alliances around the world, Russia has frequently stepped in to fill the gaps. And as America’s stock as a superpower sinks, so Russia’s rises.
The bottom line: while the U.S. has seen little to no upshot from the war, Russia has profited enormously.
“War update,” tweeted Snyder yesterday. “Russia helps Iran resist Trump, succeeds. Russia helps Cuba resist Trump, succeeds. Trump helps Russia invade Ukraine, fails.”
As the experts portend, it is becoming clear who the real winner of the war in Iran and Trump’s presidency is.
