A senior commander in Revolutionary Guard said Tehran did not request military assistance from China or Russia during its recent 12-day conflict, adding that existing long-term cooperation agreements with the two powers do not include mutual defense obligations.
In a video published by the IRGC’s political affairs office, Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, the deputy for political affairs at Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), addressed recent public criticism about the limited support shown by Beijing and Moscow during the conflict, which saw multiple Israeli and US strikes against Iranian military and nuclear sites.
“Some people in society asked during the war why China and Russia, with whom we have 25-year and 20-year cooperation agreements, did not assist us,” Javani said. “The answer is that the nature of these agreements does not include mutual defense or obligations for either country to enter a war on the other’s behalf.”
Javani emphasized that Iran did not seek outside military support during the conflict. “The Islamic Republic did not request help from any country—not even from members of the Axis of Resistance,” he said, referring to Tehran-backed militia forces across the region.
Responding to suggestions that the long-term agreements with Beijing and Moscow implied mutual military backing, Javani said: “These are cooperation agreements that involve military collaboration, arms sales, and other areas. But unlike formal security pacts, they do not obligate the parties to come to each other’s defense in times of war.”
He offered an analogy: “For example, we have a military cooperation agreement with Moscow, but when Russia entered into a war with Ukraine, we were not obligated to support them, and likewise, they are not obligated to join us in any conflict.”
The comments come amid debate within Iranian media and political circles over what some perceive as tepid responses from Iran’s strategic partners.
During the conflict, Russia condemned USairstrikes on Iranian targets as “unjustifiable” and “aggressive,” while China called for restraint and dialogue. Both stopped short of offering any material or military assistance.
Iranian state media and officials have described the conflict, which lasted nearly two weeks, as a significant test of Iran’s defensive capabilities as well as its diplomatic alliances.
The Jomhouri-e Eslami daily recently criticized the Kremlin over the long-promised but undelivered S-400 air defense systems.
The same editorial questioned whether China would take concrete steps to address Iran’s defense vulnerabilities—or whether the 20-year strategic cooperation agreement would remain, in their words, “just a piece of paper.”
Despite this, Javani defended Russia’s role during the war. “President Vladimir Putin made notable diplomatic and political efforts in support of the Islamic Republic in international forums,” he said. “These are the types of actions we expect on the political level, and he delivered.”
