Hormuz Officially Becomes a “Russia-Iran Alliance Front”: 500 Elite Russian Soldiers and Dozens of T-90M Tanks Landed, Ready to Confront the US
07:30 AM, March 28, 2026 – Just hours after the failed raid by 32 Iranian commandos on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, Russia officially deployed troops to the Strait of Hormuz. According to sources from the Russian Ministry of Defense and the IRGC, a task force of 500 Russian troops along with dozens of T-90M main battle tanks has been urgently deployed to the Iranian coast, right next to the strategic strait.

This is an unprecedented escalation: for the first time, Russia has directly deployed infantry and armored vehicles into the Gulf to “protect its ally Iran” in response to an ultimatum from US President Donald Trump.

Details of the Russian-Iranian “steel alliance”
According to a video released by the IRGC (which has gone viral on Telegram), T-90M tanks were transported by specialized Ro-Ro ships from the port of Bandar Abbas, then moved by land to defensive positions along the strait. The Russian forces include:

A mechanized regiment of the 4th Taman Division – an elite unit that previously fought in Ukraine.

Pantsir-S1 and S-400 air defense missile systems installed on the Hormuz-controlled islands.

More than 50 Russian military advisors arrived last week and have now officially joined the “combined combat unit.”

The commander of Russian forces on the scene, Major General Alexander Kornev, briefly stated via the Russian Ministry of Defense’s Telegram channel:
“We are here to protect international shipping lanes from provocations by the US and its allies. Any attack on Iran will be met with an immediate and decisive response.”

Putin “sends a nuclear message” to Trump
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a direct phone call to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday, confirming: “Russia will not stand idly by if its ally is threatened.” The Kremlin also warned Washington through diplomatic channels: “Any military action against Hormuz will be considered a direct attack on the strategic interests of the Russian Federation.”

The US reacted strongly. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the move a “ᴅᴇᴀᴅly strategic mistake” and declared:

“500 Russian soldiers don’t change the fact: the American aircraft carrier is controlling the skies and the Sea of ​​Hormuz. If Russia wants to try, they will get the same result as the 32 Iranian commandos yesterday.”

The “new alliance” changes the war landscape
Russia’s deployment of troops to Hormuz occurred just 48 hours after Iran closed the strait and threatened the UAE’s Barakah nuclear facility. Military experts believe this is a “real alliance” between Moscow and Tehran – not just drones and missiles as before, but infantry and armored vehicles directly on the ground.

Potential consequences:

Crude oil prices surged to $142 per barrel overnight.

The US Fifth Fleet increased patrols, ready to “shoot down any target threatening freedom of navigation.”

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are holding urgent meetings with the US, fearing that a “proxy war” could escalate into a direct Russia-US conflict.