Dmitry Medvedev has claimed Russia’s nuclear arsenal is the only guarantee Moscow needs, stating the United States fears Russia and understands the cost of atomic conflict.
The former Russian president and current deputy chairman of the Security Council posted the message Monday as tensions spike over the Iran-Israel war. “The US fears Russia and knows the cost of a nuclear conflict. That is Russia’s guarantee,” he wrote on social media.
Medvedev has spent months issuing increasingly aggressive nuclear threats. Last week he warned Russia could supply Iran with nuclear weapons if the US and Israel continued strikes. He also said Moscow would “do everything” to ensure Iran gets the bomb if Tehran requested it.
The latest statement comes as Russia positions itself as Iran’s key ally while maintaining cautious contact with Washington. President Putin has spoken with Donald Trump about Ukraine but condemned the US-Israeli killing of Supreme Leader Khamenei.
Medvedev’s warning appears designed to deter any US expansion of the war toward Russian interests. Moscow and Tehran signed a comprehensive strategic partnership in January and held joint naval drills in the Gulf last week.
Analysts say Medvedev’s rhetoric serves dual purposes. It reassures Iran that Russia has its back while reminding Washington that Moscow’s nuclear umbrella extends beyond its borders.
The Kremlin has not officially endorsed Medvedev’s nuclear guarantees to Iran. But Putin’s spokesman has repeatedly refused to rule out any Russian response to the crisis.
US officials have dismissed Medvedev’s previous threats as bluster. But with the Middle East war expanding and Russia’s role unclear, his latest claim that fear alone protects Moscow carries unsettling weight.
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