Al-Monitor | Saeid Jafari: Iran�s relationship with Russia has always been characterized by a mix of hope and dread. While one faction in Tehran wants to expand ties, another faction has been traditionally concerned about Moscow�s trustworthiness. The Syrian crisis has, however, brought the two countries closer together given their shared support for President Bashar al-Assad.

Despite the current collaboration, there is constant concern that Russia might turn its back on Iran for a better deal, or that Moscow might�maneuver in Syria in a manner that will not safeguard Iran�s interests in the region. The latest boost to this anxiety came from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu�s recent attempts to attract Russia�s attention. Netanyahu�s March 9 visit to Moscow was conducted with the hope of getting President Vladimir Putin�s approval�for Netanyahu's�vision of the future order in Syria, which directly impacts the Iranian-Israeli dynamic.

At his meeting with Putin, Netanyahu charged that Iran is spreading �Shiite Islamic terrorism� and urged Moscow to not let Tehran use the Syrian crisis to further its goals against Israel. For�his part, the Russian president urged the Israeli prime minister�to avoid finding roots to current tension with Iran in �the fifth century B.C.� and to instead focus on current realities. Naturally, Netanyahu�s visit was carefully watched by Tehran, with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responding to the charges of the supposed historical enmity of Persians toward�Jews on Twitter�on March 12.
Read more here