After a Russian superyacht sails through Strait of Hormuz, what’s Russia’s role in the war?

As the rest of the world holds its breath to see how the ongoing stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz will turn out, one vessel decided to risk itself and sail straight through.

A Russian superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov sailed from Dubai to Muscat this weekend, moving directly through the waters that Iran and the United States are fighting over.

The bizarre passage, through waters laden with mines, represents more than just a cocky captain taking a dangerous route.

Russia has been a silent player in the conflict between the US and Iran from the beginning, without much of the world realising.

Yesterday, the relationship became more apparent when Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted an Iranian delegation in St Petersburg, where Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi lauded their ‘strategic relationship’.

Araghchi wrote on social media: ‘Recent events have evidenced the depth and strength of our strategic partnership. As our relationship continues to grow, we are grateful for solidarity and welcome Russia’s support for diplomacy.

‘It is a good opportunity for us to consult with our Russian friends about the developments that have occurred in relation to the war during this period and what is happening now.’

Though Russia hasn’t been directly involved in peace talks between the United States and Iran, they have a lot to lose.

The war has been an unexpected shot in the arm for Russia, with a significant bump in demand for its oil and gas, boosting exports battered in recent years by sanctions linked to its war in Ukraine.

Though it appears that Russia may have a stake in the Iran-US war because of its need for oil, they have also become involved in a military capacity, without much of the world realising.

Russia supplied Iran with information to help it target US warships and aircraft deployed to the Middle East, the Washington Post found.

The extent of Russian support was not entirely clear, but the Iranian military’s ability to locate US targets itself has been degraded since the conflict erupted, the Post reported.

Keir Giles, a Russian expert at Chatham House, told Metro: ‘It makes sense for Russia to facilitate Iran’s war effort as much as possible without directly inconveniencing Moscow itself.

‘The coalition of partner countries that oppose the West has shared interests in doing as much damage as possible to the Western coalition and to the rules-based international order, even if they might have divergent strategic objectives of their own.’

Russia seemingly inserting itself into peace talks is also interesting, Giles said, because the country has always sought to position itself as a broker for conflicts to project global influence.

‘They have a lot to gain from being involved in this process, from very publicly inserting themselves and making themselves look like a peacemaker instead of a supporter of Iran’s campaign of retaliation against the United States and its Gulf neighbours,’ Giles added.

However, Russia might also have something to gain if the war between Iran and the US continues longer.

Giles said: ‘The longer the war goes on, the better it is for Russia: high oil prices, relief from sanctions, the world’s distraction away from the war in Ukraine, and the enormous rates at which the United States and its allies have been expending munitions that otherwise might be available to defend Europe.

‘All of these are heavily in Russia’s favour. So there’s a strong interest for them in the war not coming to a conclusive end.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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