As Trump issues a chilling warning that the Ukraine war could “snowball into World War III,” Vladimir Putin is quietly stitching together a powerful anti-U.S. alliance stretching from Tehran to Caracas. Just a day after speaking with Venezuela’s Maduro, Putin met Iran’s president in Turkmenistan, doubling down on gas, nuclear and strategic cooperation despite Western sanctions. Moscow now boasts rising trade flows with Iran and renewed energy corridors linking the Gulf to Russia.