Putin met with the Iranian Foreign Minister today, offering him support for the Iranian people and best wishes for Khamenei. And his spokesman clarified that a regime change cannot happen by decision of third countries - but added that the dialogue with Trump at other tables continues: These are independent processes

To clarify our relations with Iran: in the text of our recent agreement there is a passage that concerns possible aggression suffered by each of the two contracting countries. We show it on screen, to prevent exaggerated expectations. Paragraph 3 of Article 3: in the event that one of the two parties is subjected to aggression, the other contracting party undertakes not to provide military or other assistance to the aggressor … and will take steps to ensure that the differences are resolved on the basis of the United Nations Charter…

On Sunday morning, after the US attack on Tehran, state television broadcast, at each edition, until late evening and beyond, this message, which certainly contained news, but perhaps also a preventive justification. Beyond the reactions that followed, the necessary documents signed by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the condemnation of the American decision and the criticism of the implicit assent given by Western countries regarding the Israeli attacks against Iran and the dangerous distortion of international law, perhaps the clarification entrusted to the most important instrument of internal propaganda was more important.

Russia is dismayed, indignant and committed, but then throws in the towel with great dignity, to use the poet's words.

There is not much he can do about it, he cannot go against the will of his new American ally, much more important for his fate than his old Iranian friend.

It is a feeling that remains even after listening to the words pronounced this morning by Vladimir Putin at the opening of the meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Moscow. The unprovoked aggression against Iran has no reasons or justifications, said the Russian president, who in extending his best wishes to the Supreme Leader, currently hidden who knows where, said that we will try to help the Iranian people, omitting to name in this sentence the leader of the aforementioned people, that is, the leaders of Iranian power , and thus distancing himself quite clearly from what will be their future fate.

As if Putin's bare minimum in terms of support for Tehran were not enough, Peskov immediately followed up on his own words on Sunday afternoon. Relations between Russia and the United States have suffered serious damage, he said yesterday, adding that it will not be possible to bring them back to a constructive path overnight. Today, after reiterating that the meeting between the Russian president and the Iranian foreign minister had been scheduled for a long time, and that any regime change cannot occur by decision of third countries, when asked about the possible impact of the US attacks on Iran on relations between Moscow and Washington, he said that these are independent processes, adding that Putin and Trump discussed the Iranian crisis but that the White House did not inform the Kremlin of the impending attack.

Goodbye Tehran. Or rather, do svidania. 

It matters little if the blow to Russia's international prestige is admitted only by the hawks of the ultranationalist galaxy. Trump, who arrived as a peacemaker president, has started a new war for the United States, said Dmitry Medvedev, former president of the Federation and now vice president of the Russian Security Council, adding that with this kind of success, Trump will not win the Nobel Peace Prize. It is time for us to help Tehran, said oligarch Konstantin Malofiev, a warmongering patron of the Tsargrad platform that, starting from the tsarist name, evokes nostalgia for imperial Russia. But at the same time he recognizes, in compliance with reasons of state, it is necessary to offer the United States and Iran diplomatic assistance in peace negotiations, appointing a special envoy for this. We can play on two tables.

There will be no internal backlash if the only one who is really protesting, from the prison where he is being held for defaming the army, is the extremist Igor Girkin. If Iran does not receive the necessary support from its allies, Russia and China, within a month, its enemies will achieve the goal of returning that country to the Stone Age, says the rifleman of the first invasion of Ukraine.

But Putin has already shown that he knows how to handle the protests of this extremist wing of the most extreme minority in his own way. Today marks the second anniversary of the march on Moscow undertaken by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner Brigade. We know how it ended.