Sergei Lavrov and Donald Trump Vladimir Putin’s foreign minister has mocked Donald Trump for “miscalculating” his strikes against Russia’s ally, Iran . The US president launched a coordinated attack with Israel against the Middle Eastern country at the end of February, killing Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But Tehran has still not folded – despite Trump’s claim that the US has already “won”. Iran has instead caused widespread chaos by targeting US military bases in the Middle East and effectively closing a major oil shipping lane in retaliation. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said: “If they [the Americans] thought they could subjugate [Iran] in a day or a few hours, they probably realise now just how seriously they miscalculated, how wrong they were.” This dig comes days after Trump controversially chose to temporarily ease sanctions against Russia to free up its oil exports, upending united western efforts to punish Putin over his invasion of Ukraine. The US president hoped this would help bring the global oil price down. But allies, including the UK, have made it clear they will not follow suit. Lavrov’s remarks are also surprising because Russia has been mocked for once claiming it could seize Ukraine in a matter of days. Despite invading in February 2022 and enduring more than a million casualties, Putin controls just a fifth of Ukraine’s sovereign land. Russia was humiliatingly repelled from the capital Kyiv in the first weeks of the conflict and has not even been close to seizing since. Putin is in a bizarre position when it comes to the Middle East war, even as he tries to position himself as a “global peacemaker”, according to the UK’s Ministry of Defence. Moscow has consistently defended Tehran over the last few weeks and some reports suggest the new Supreme Leader was even flown to Russia for private medical treatment. The UK’s defence secretary John Healey suggested Putin’s “ hidden hand” is clear in Iran’s war tactics, as Iranian’s tactics replicate Russian strategies. Yet, after Trump’s easing of sanctions, the decline in oil coming from the Middle East evidently has boosted interest in Russia’s own cheap exports. Trump’s focus on Iran has reduced American pressure on Moscow to end its own war against Ukraine, too. Related... Sergei Lavrov's Stepdaughter Among Latest Wave Of Russians Sanctioned By UK 7 Things About Donald Trump's Latest 'Deeply Disturbing' Gaffe You Need To Know Putin's Aide Hits Out At 'British Specialists' Over Ukrainian Strike On Missile Factory