Raisi Travels to Russia for 'Consultations' with Putin on 'Ceasing Bombardment of Gaza'

One day after Vladimir Putin's trip to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, Ebrahim Raisi traveled to Russia on Thursday, December 7, to 'consult' with the Russian President regarding 'immediate efforts to cease the bombardment of Gaza.' Before departing for Russia, the Iranian President stated at Mehrabad Airport that he was going to Moscow 'at Putin's invitation and with the aim of consulting on sensitive regional issues and expanding relations between the two countries in various fields.' Ebrahim Raisi noted that the Islamic Republic and Russia share a 'common perspective' on regional and trans-regional issues and added that he would discuss the situation in Gaza with his Russian counterpart. The United States has repeatedly warned about the increasing military cooperation between Russia and the Islamic Republic. Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated in a press conference on Wednesday regarding the expanding cooperation between the Islamic Republic and Russia in all areas and the two countries' efforts to circumvent U.S. sanctions: 'We are closely monitoring the behavior of both countries in various aspects and will impose both new sanctions and measures to prevent sanctions evasion against the two countries.' Raisi's trip to Russia and 'consultations' regarding the situation in Gaza come at a time when the Hamas group receives extensive financial and military support from the Islamic Republic of Iran. On October 7, Hamas carried out a terrorist attack in southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 240 hostages, including children, women, and the elderly. In response to this action, Israel launched extensive air, sea, and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, calling for the destruction of Hamas. The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, Israel, and several other countries have listed Hamas as a terrorist organization. Raisi travels to Moscow just one day after Putin's visit to the two Arab countries. The Russian President visited the UAE and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to strengthen Moscow's position as a powerful mediator in the Middle East. The Kremlin stated that Putin discussed 'sensitive issues' in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The U.S. reaction to a court ruling in Tehran was that it was 'worthless and lacking legal validity.' Putin traveled to the Middle East with the escort of warplanes.