MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, signed a broad cooperation agreement on Friday as their countries deepen their partnership in the face of Western sanctions.
Russian and Iranian officials say the "comprehensive strategic partnership treaty" covers all areas - from trade to military cooperation, science, education and culture.
President Putin praised the agreement as "a real achievement, which creates the conditions for the sustainable and continuous development of Russia, Iran and the entire region."
He said the current level of trade and economic cooperation is still insufficient and expressed hope that the new treaty will help eliminate bureaucratic obstacles and expand relations. The Russian leader later added that the two countries are trying to resolve technical obstacles, to advance planned projects to deliver Russian natural gas to Iran and to create transport corridors to Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf.
Iranian President Pezeshkian said the projects are feasible and added that experts are working to resolve remaining obstacles.
"We are experiencing a new chapter in strategic relations," the Iranian president said, adding that the two countries are expected to expand trade relations and also increase "the level of security cooperation."
His visit to Russia came just before the inauguration on Monday in the United States of President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to broker peace in Ukraine and take a tougher stance on Iran, which is facing growing economic problems and other challenges, including losses in its sphere of influence across the Middle East.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed any possible connection to President Trump's inauguration, saying the signing had been planned long ago.
The signing of the treaty with Iran follows last year's pact with North Korea, countries once identified by former President George W. Bush, along with Iraq, as the "axis of evil."
Russia's ties with Iran have grown closer since Russian President Putin sent military forces to Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine and the West have accused Tehran of providing Moscow with hundreds of drones for use in attacks on Ukraine, which Moscow and Tehran have denied.
Last year, Iran joined the BRICS bloc of emerging economies, and Iranian President Pezeshkian attended the summit, hosted by Russia, in Kazan.
Russia and Iran, countries with troubled relations in the past, developed warmer ties after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Russia became a major partner in trade and in supplying weapons and technology to Iran, which has faced severe international sanctions.
Russia built Iran's first nuclear power plant, which began operating in 2013, and is building two more nuclear reactors there.
Russia was part of the 2015 deal between Iran and six nuclear powers, which offered sanctions relief to Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, and the Kremlin offered political support to Iran when the United States unilaterally withdrew from the deal during President Trump's first term.
Russia and Iran also joined forces to prop up Bashar Assad's government during Syria's civil war, but failed to prevent his fall last month after a surprise offensive by opposition forces. Mr. Assad and his family fled to Russia.
His removal from power dealt another blow to the region-wide “Axis of Resistance,” as Tehran describes it, which had already been damaged by Israel’s offensives against two Iranian-backed militant groups — Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. On two occasions, Israel even attacked Iran directly.
Tehran increasingly needs Moscow's help as it faces economic problems and losses across its sphere of influence in the Middle East. The problems could deepen once Mr. Trump returns to the White House with his policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran.
In particular, Iran wants sophisticated weapons from Russia, such as long-range air defense systems and fighter jets to help deter potential attacks from Israel./ VOA (A2 Televizion)
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