Middle East Policy of Russia

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, its successor Russian Federation found itself in a completely different environment. Lots of new states, six of which were Muslim, emerged in the southern borders of Russia. The Islam, which had been suppressed by the Communists in the region, started to revive. Moscow, which was afraid of flooding of radical Islamists from the Middle East and particularly from Iran towards this region, gave priority to Iran in the Middle Eastern policy. Certain factors such as the trade relations, Chechen issue, civil war in Tajikistan, role of Iran in the fight between Russia and the U.S. for energy resources in Caspian Basin made Iran valuable for Moscow.