“BREAKING: Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that Russia will support Iran if the United States attacks Iran’s soil in support of Israel.”

Iran launched drones and missiles at Israel on April 13, but subsequent claims about Russia’s support for the Islamic Republic don’t reflect news reports about the attack.

“BREAKING: Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that RUSSIA will SUPPORT IRAN if the United States attacks Iran’s soil in support of Israel,” read the text in an April 13 Facebook post, above an image of Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi smiling and shaking hands.

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We found no credible news reports that Putin made such a declaration. 

Rather, on April 16, Putin’s first public comments about the attack called for a ceasefire and urged “all sides” in the Middle East to “show reasonable restraint and prevent a new round of confrontation fraught with catastrophic consequences for the entire region,” according to the Kremlin.

Iranian state media, meanwhile, quoted Putin as saying Tehran’s response to Israel was the best way to punish the country, Reuters reported. 

The photo of Putin and Raisi predates Iran’s attack on Israel. It was taken in December, when the two presidents met in Moscow. 

We rate the claim that Putin has declared that Russia “will support Iran if the United States attacks Iran’s soil in support of Israel” False.