The Ideal Russia Is Based on “Orthodox” Iran
By Panagiotis Andriopoulos
March 4, 2026
By Panagiotis Andriopoulos
March 4, 2026
The warm condolences of the Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill, for the death of the religious leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, do not surprise us (see here). They simply remind us emphatically of reality.
The ideal Russia, which is based on “traditional values,” is an “Orthodox” Iran. In this model, the head of state is not merely an administrator, but an ayatollah who interprets everything, while the Church acts as a transmitter.
“Once, when our president Vladimir Putin was asked by journalists about the attitude of Orthodoxy toward Catholicism and Islam, he replied that we are closer to Islam — this is what I believe as well,” the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church had previously admitted during a visit to Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan. “Both Islam and Orthodoxy,” the Patriarch explained, “belong to the same eastern group. Moreover, among the immediate priorities of the dialogue of the Church of Russia with Islam, Iran occupies the first place.”
There is a significant… prehistory. Indicatively we mention the following:
The 10th session of the Joint Russian–Iranian Commission for Dialogue “Orthodox Christianity – Islam”, titled “Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation as Instruments of Stable and Just Peace,” took place on 26–27 September 2016 in Moscow. The session was co-chaired by Metropolitan Theophanes of Kazan and Tatarstan and Dr. Abuzar Ibrahimi Torkaman, President of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization.
In the joint communiqué we read, among other things:
“The members of the consultations condemned the imposition of secular rules and standards of behavior which followers of traditional morality cannot accept. The members of the delegations emphasized that any attempt to build a peaceful and just community without religion is doomed to failure. The present crisis phenomena in the West are due precisely to the shortsighted pursuit by political actors to secularize society. Such an attitude cannot be accepted by followers of the traditional religions and inevitably leads to tension and conflicts.
The parties expressed their satisfaction with the continuation of the dialogue between the Russian Church and the Muslim community of the Islamic Republic of Iran. They considered the achievements of the Commission over the last twenty years to be significant, as well as its contribution to strengthening friendship between the peoples of Russia and Iran. The participants praised the leading role of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and Mohammad Ali Taskhiri in establishing the Joint Commission twenty years ago. The relevance of the dialogue is confirmed by the wide range of topics under discussion and the undiminished mutual interest of the parties.”
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow also met on 26 September 2016 with the members of that 10th session of the Joint Russian–Iranian Commission for Dialogue “Orthodoxy – Islam.” He praised the work of the Commission, which, he noted, had revealed a convergence of positions on many problems of the contemporary era:
“I am glad that the initiative which we undertook together, dear brother Taskhiri, has borne such good results. The working group established for dialogue between the Orthodox Church of Russia and the Iranian Muslims proved that interreligious dialogue helps peoples understand one another better and reach agreement on very important problems of the contemporary era. I consider it important that within the framework of our Commission we have jointly addressed — and continue to address — the challenges of the aggressive external world, which even target the moral principles of our religions. For twenty years, based on the teachings of our faiths, we have exchanged thoughts concerning crucial problems of the modern world.”
When Patriarch Kirill of Moscow received the Iranian ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, at the Patriarchal Residence in Danilov Monastery in April 2022, he welcomed his guest and emphasized that good relations have developed between the peoples of Russia and Iran, relations that have grown particularly actively in recent decades. The Patriarch shared his memories of his visit to Iran in 1995:
“At that time I had the opportunity to visit Tehran and other places and to become acquainted with the spiritual life of your people. This awakened in me even more a sense of sympathy for your people, your culture, and your history.”
The alliance of the Russian Church and Iran against the “corrupt West” reveals to us that “morality” and “tradition” can function as unifying elements for a “holy war.” An Orthodox–Islamic sharia must be imposed. And Kirill of Moscow, as a true ayatollah, is at the forefront.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow Congratulates the New Religious Leader of Iran
By Panagiotis Andriopoulos
March 11, 2026
By Panagiotis Andriopoulos
March 11, 2026
After his condolences for the death of the religious leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, Moscow’s Kirill hastened to express his congratulations to his son for his election as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Let us look at the relevant text.
To the Supreme Spiritual Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei
Dear brother,
I sincerely congratulate you on your election by the Assembly of Experts of Iran to the position of Supreme Leader of the country!
This historic moment has been marked by a difficult personal trial in connection with the death of your respected father and your loved ones.
You assume responsibility for the state and its citizens at a dramatic moment when Iran is facing numerous existential challenges.
The peoples of our countries enjoy relations of good neighborliness. The Russian Orthodox Church maintains a fruitful dialogue with the Iranian Islamic community, based on mutual respect and a shared commitment to preserving traditional moral values. I look forward to its continued development.
I wish you and all the Iranian people a swift return of peace to the ancient Persian land.
Sincerely,
Kirill of Moscow
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
Indeed, the letter of Kirill of Moscow to the new religious leader of Iran — who remains …unseen until now — is “brotherly” (sic).
Apparently, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow is anxious about the 13th session of the Joint Russian–Iranian Commission for Dialogue “Orthodox Christianity – Islam”, which had been scheduled to take place in Iran, according to an announcement made in May 2025 during a meeting in Kazan, Russia, between the head of the Iranian Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO), Mohammad‑Mahdi Imanipour, and the Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan, Kirill Nakonechny.
We recall, indicatively, the most recent dialogue meetings:
12th Session (February 2023): Held in Moscow with the theme “The Public Ministry of Religious Communities in the Post-Pandemic World.”
11th Session (May 2018): Held in Tehran and dealt with environmental issues and the teachings of religions concerning nature.
10th Session (September 2016): Took place in Moscow with the central theme of interreligious dialogue as a tool for just peace.
Of particular interest is the fact that from 11–13 January 2024 a working visit to Iran was carried out by the secretary of the Synodal Bioethics Commission of the Russian Church, Archpriest Alexander Abramov.
The secretary of the Synodal Commission met with the president of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization of Iran, Hojjat-ol-Islam Mohammad-Mahdi Imanipour. Issues of potential cooperation between Russian specialists in Orthodox bioethics and Iranian theologians were discussed — topics concerning the inviolability of life, biomedicine, transplantation, as well as other contemporary bioethical problems. Particular attention was given to research in the fields of high technology and Artificial Intelligence. The participants agreed to develop systematic cooperation in these areas. A preliminary plan of cooperation was even drafted, including visits to bioethics research centers in Russia and Iran, and the organization of seminars and conferences for a deeper study of the theological aspects of contemporary bioethics, with emphasis on neuroethics and artificial intelligence.
Truly very… innovative is the dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and Iran on matters of bioethics. One may naturally wonder within what framework these… remarkable things take place.
The answer is given by the late Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan, Theophanes of Kazan (who died of COVID‑19 in 2020). When he was appointed head of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church to the 11th session of the Commission, he said among other things about this prospect:
The Director of the Iranian Cultural Center in Moscow, Akbari Jendi, agreed with what Metropolitan Theophanes stated, emphasizing that these views correspond to Islamic teaching.
It becomes clear to everyone that what unites the Russian Orthodox Church and the mullahs of Iran is anti-Westernism, the preservation of “traditional values” — which we do not quite know what they are — and, generally speaking, a spirit of fundamentalist “cooperation.”
Some accuse Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople of having better contacts and understanding with Pope Francis than with the… “Orthodox” Kirill of Moscow.
But here is the issue: Kirill of Moscow feels more comfortable with the mullahs of Iran than with Christians in general. For him, Christians represent the “accursed and corrupt West,” whereas the radical Islamists of Iran represent the “purified” East.
In reality, what unites them is the logic and practice of liquidation.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Truly very… innovative is the dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and Iran on matters of bioethics. One may naturally wonder within what framework these… remarkable things take place.
The answer is given by the late Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan, Theophanes of Kazan (who died of COVID‑19 in 2020). When he was appointed head of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church to the 11th session of the Commission, he said among other things about this prospect:
“I hope that the dialogue planned within the framework of the upcoming visit to Tehran will contribute to the deepening of interreligious and cultural relations between our countries. With the present geopolitical situation, with the West openly seeking to expel religion from the public sphere, it is important for us to preserve our traditional religious, cultural, and historical values.”
The Director of the Iranian Cultural Center in Moscow, Akbari Jendi, agreed with what Metropolitan Theophanes stated, emphasizing that these views correspond to Islamic teaching.
“It is important to remember that our religions indeed have many common elements. This is a foundation upon which our cultural relations should be built, relations which are called to function as a counterbalance to the policies of Western countries, where there is a rapid decline in religious believers and an increase in incidents involving the desecration of traditional religious values.”
It becomes clear to everyone that what unites the Russian Orthodox Church and the mullahs of Iran is anti-Westernism, the preservation of “traditional values” — which we do not quite know what they are — and, generally speaking, a spirit of fundamentalist “cooperation.”
Some accuse Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople of having better contacts and understanding with Pope Francis than with the… “Orthodox” Kirill of Moscow.
But here is the issue: Kirill of Moscow feels more comfortable with the mullahs of Iran than with Christians in general. For him, Christians represent the “accursed and corrupt West,” whereas the radical Islamists of Iran represent the “purified” East.
In reality, what unites them is the logic and practice of liquidation.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
