“Close to hysterics”: how the war with Iran affected Putin’s condition

US President Donald Trump’s shift from protracted negotiations to direct use of force in the Middle East has caused serious concern in the Kremlin. Against this backdrop, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is currently in a rather complicated psychological state, close to hysteria.

This opinion was expressed on the air of “Pryamoy” by political scientist Oleg Sahakyan.

According to him, the demonstration of US determination is changing the behavior model of world leaders, in particular Russia and China, which significantly narrows Moscow’s opportunities to further raise the stakes in international relations.

“I think that Putin is in a rather difficult psychological state now against this background. Somewhere close to hysteria in terms of what will be done to him,” the analyst shared his thoughts.

The political scientist recalled that the Russian leader may be haunted by the fate of Gaddafi. What was important was not the fact of external pressure on Trump, but his personal ability to dare to take a radical step, which creates a precedent for risky politics, where inaction is no longer considered a safe option.

Although the direct transfer of such a strategy to the Russian-Ukrainian war remains questionable, the very projection of force is already changing the geopolitical context, Sahakyan noted.

At the same time, the political scientist emphasizes, the military escalation in the Middle East is destroying the strategic cooperation between Moscow and Tehran. He explained that Iran is no longer able to provide the Russian side with the necessary components for the production of drones, which in turn will lead to a decrease in the number of air strikes on the territory of Ukraine due to the impossibility of scaling up production.

“Russia is losing a partner. They cannot scale up the production of Shaheds because Iran is unable to provide such a large number of components,” Sahakyan added.

The analyst noted that Tehran has been practicing sanctions-evading schemes for decades to obtain Western technologies, which it actively shared with Russia, but now these channels are blocked, and Iranian missiles that could have been transferred to the Russians are being used in regional battles against Israel and Bahrain.

As a reminder, global oil prices rose sharply on March 2 amid the escalating conflict over Iran and risks to supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. The cost of the benchmark Brent crude reached its highest level since January 2025, showing the largest increase in 4 years.

Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, a key route for oil supplies from the Middle East. According to journalists, a number of major companies have suspended the transportation of crude oil and fuel through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about 20% of the world’s oil consumption.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump announced the killing of 48 Iranian leaders in US and Israeli strikes. He also reported the destruction of 9 Iranian warships and a strike on the Iranian Navy headquarters.

Instead, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard reported the defeat of the American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf. In response, the United States reported that the aircraft carrier was not damaged and continues to carry out its mission.