"But seeing Iranians crowding the streets of Tehran, many waving American flags alongside the Iranian flag from before the Islamic Revolution — with not a Russian flag in sight — it would seem Putin has an uphill battle ahead of him."
Putin Praises a Brutal Regime
Almost immediately following the joint Israeli–U.S. attacks against Iran, which resulted in the killing of the brutal Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini — along with a couple of dozen other senior officials — Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the attacks and praised Khomeini as an “outstanding statesman.”
Khomeini was responsible for killing and torturing tens of thousands of his own people. He ordered and approved heinous terrorist attacks around the world, most notably the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks that raped, tortured, and killed over a thousand Israelis, along with taking dozens of hostages — many of whom died in captivity, while others suffered horrendous treatment at the hands of the Iranian proxy. Khomeini’s regime also produced the EFP roadside bombs that killed and maimed thousands of American service members in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Authoritarians Cut from the Same Cloth
Obviously, any character assessment made by Vladimir Putin is laughable. Putin himself is a brutal authoritarian dictator, responsible for the murders of his political opponents both inside Russia and beyond its borders — not to mention his unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine, and prior to that, Georgia. Putin has been meddling in other countries’ affairs for decades. Putin, along with the Iranian fanatic Khomeini, are just two peas in a pod.
Few people in Iran — or anywhere else around the world, for that matter — are going to be mourning Khomeini. Putin likely also knows, or at least he should, that once he takes a dirt nap, there will be few sending flower arrangements to his funeral. Putin’s just a legend in his own mind.
Hypocrisy from the Kremlin
I find it pretty hypocritical — though not unusual for despots like Putin — for him to criticize the attacks against Iran that killed the fanatical Iranian supreme leader, when Putin has had Wagner Group paid assassins running around Ukraine trying to kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ever since the beginning of Russia’s invasion.
What’s at Stake in Iran
Certainly Russia has a vested interest in what happens in Iran. If things go as many hope they will, and the harsh theocratic regime led by Putin’s fellow despot Khomeini is ousted by the combined U.S.–Israeli attacks — along with a popular uprising by the Iranian people — Putin stands to lose a great deal of influence in that strategically important region of the world.
Putin is not a stupid man. He can read the writing on the wall and see for himself the popular uprising currently underway in Iran. But you can count on Putin trying to destabilize any pro-U.S. transition government in Iran once the fanatics have been ousted. Russia under Putin will do all it can to assert as much influence as possible. As an old KGB hand, Putin is well aware of the importance of conducting covert influence operations to sway public opinion.
A Popular Uprising Against the Regime
But seeing Iranians crowding the streets of Tehran, many waving American flags alongside the Iranian flag from before the Islamic Revolution — with not a Russian flag in sight — it would seem Putin has an uphill battle ahead of him. Certainly China will be doing much the same. They too have a vested interest in what happens in Iran, just as Putin does.
A Message for Putin
But considering his own despicable and brutal track record, I think Putin just needs to STFU and sit this one out.
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