Iran is experiencing rising protests and increasing threats from the Trump administration. In response, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a warning to the United States this week through an unusual platform: his Russian-language account on X. Analysts believe this shows how closely Iran is aligning with Moscow as pressure on the regime grows.
On January 11, Khamenei wrote in Russian, “The United States today is miscalculating in its approach toward Iran.” A few hours later, he posted again in Russian, warning that Americans have faced defeat in the past because of “miscalculations” and may do so again due to “erroneous planning.”
Ksenia Svetlova, the executive director of the Regional Organization for Peace, Economy and Security (ROPES) and an associate fellow at Chatham House, pointed out that Khamenei’s choice to use Russian was significant, even if the writing was awkward.
“This is poorly written Russian,” Svetlova told Fox News Digital. “It seems to have been translated by Google Translate rather than a human.” Still, she said Khamenei using a Russian-language account was not surprising given the strong ties between Iran and Russia in recent years.
Iranian Internal Crisis Continued to Deepen
Khamenei has issued a warning as Iran’s internal crisis worsens. HRANA, a human rights organization, reports that at least 544 people have died in nationwide protests, with more cases still under review. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) says that over 3,000 people have died, which is more than what the government says. It’s hard to know for sure because the internet is turned off in many places in Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized Iran in response to the rising death toll. When asked if Iran had crossed a red line, Trump said, “It looks like they’re starting to.” And there seem to be some people killed that aren’t supposed to be killed. These are violent. If you call them leaders, I don’t know if they’re leaders or just rule through violence. But we’re looking at it very seriously,” during a flight on Air Force One.
“We’re considering some very strong options,” he added.
Iranian leaders say the U.S. is interfering in their affairs. They warn that if the U.S. takes military action, it will result in retaliation against American forces and allies in the region. However, Tehran also wants to keep diplomatic communication open.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that communication between Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is still active. Axios reported that Araghchi contacted Witkoff over the weekend amid Trump’s warnings of possible military action.
Despite these efforts, analysts believe Khamenei’s message in Russian shows that Iran views Russia as its most reliable strategic partner.
Critical Lifeline for Iran
Russia is an important ally for Iran, especially because Moscow needs Iranian drones and military equipment for its war in Ukraine. Svetlova pointed out that if Iran faces internal problems, it could seriously affect Russia.
“I believe this could have a big impact because they depend on Iran for military supplies, like drones and missiles,” she said. “They need these to keep fighting in Ukraine.”
However, this relationship has caused frustration in Iran. Svetlova mentioned that after the 12-day conflict with Israel, many Iranians criticized Russia for not helping.
“There was a lot of anger in Iran towards Russia for not providing support,” she said. “They didn’t reach out or offer any assistance at all.”
Still, Svetlova noted that Russia has few other options as its global influence declines. With key allies like Bashar al-Assad in Syria and Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela losing power, Moscow increasingly depends on Tehran, even though it stays quiet about the protests happening in Iran.
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