Fears over a worldwide war are escalating as Russia appears to be stepping up its military support for Iran.

According to the New York Times, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu made a visit to Tehran on Monday to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. During the meeting, Shoigu allegedly agreed to provide Iran with advanced air defense systems and radar equipment to help the regime’s expected retaliation against Israel over the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Russia’s now 3-year war with Ukraine has depleted its missile stockpiles, which has made President Vladimir Putin more receptive to Iran’s requests for high-tech Russian weaponry.

“Russia has financial problems and although it maintains economic and cultural ties with Israel, Moscow cannot afford to reject Iran’s request for help because it relies heavily on Iranian drones in its war on Ukraine,” a source with knowledge of the meeting tells the Times.

Despite facing severe international sanctions, both Russia and Iran have managed to maintain a robust trade relationship, estimated at $4 billion. This economic cooperation extends beyond mere trade and weapons, with Iran providing Russia crucial advice on evading sanctions, including the use of front companies and money exchange houses.

The two tyrannical nations are reportedly exploring ways to circumvent the US dollar in their transactions and are working to link their banking systems through alternatives to the SWIFT international financial messaging system. Russia has even begun providing credit card services to Iran.

In the energy sector, Iran is sharing its expertise in ship-to-ship oil transfers at sea with location devices turned off, a technique that could help Russia maintain its oil exports to keep funding its illegal war against Ukraine.

Considering Russia and Iran’s partnership is so valuable to each of their own vendettas against democracies, military experts fear that any significant retaliation from Israel if indeed Iran does attack could drag Russia into the fray, which would be catastrophic.