moscow: Russia and Iran are set to sign a new treaty on Friday to strengthen their military and economic ties, a pact between the world’s two most sanctioned countries that is likely to worry the West.
Iranian President Massoud Pezhekian and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are expected to sign the deal in Moscow later, days before pro-Iranian Donald Trump enters the White House.
Details of the document have not been released, but the Kremlin has said it will strengthen Tehran and Moscow’s “military-political and trade-economic” ties.
Moscow has viewed the Islamic republic as a strategic ally since sending troops to Ukraine in February 2022, worrying Western officials who view both as malign actors on the world stage.
The two leaders first met in the Kremlin, where both praised the new agreement ahead of its signing.
“This will give us the opportunity to give additional impetus to almost all areas of cooperation,” Putin told Iranian counterpart Massoud Pezhekian, to whom Putin replied that the text would become a “solid foundation” for relations.
The two presidents will hold a joint press conference later, the Kremlin said.
‘constructive’ treaty
Russian state media cited Abbas Araghchi, Tehran’s top diplomat, as saying that Tehran has provided few details on the new pact but has rejected a mutual defense clause included in Moscow’s agreement with North Korea last year.
According to Ukrainian and Western officials, Iran has already supplied Russia with self-detonating “Martyr” drones, which Moscow bombs at night. Both have increased their trade in response to Western sanctions.
Both sides had been working on a new treaty for years. Their current relationship is governed by a 2001 document which they have renewed from time to time.
Russia says its upcoming deal with Iran and the already signed treaty with Pyongyang “are not directed against any country”.
“The treaty … is of a constructive nature and is aimed at strengthening the capabilities of Russia, Iran and our friends in different parts of the world,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.
It will be valid for 20 years, Russia’s TASS news agency cited Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali as saying on Tuesday.
‘Global Hegemony’
Russian President Vladimir Putin has made relations with Iran, China and North Korea a cornerstone of his foreign policy as he seeks to challenge what he calls US-led “global hegemony.”
After suffering several foreign policy setbacks last year, Tehran has also sought closer ties with Moscow.
A rebel offensive last month ousted Russian and Iranian-backed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, and the war between Israel and Tehran-ally Hezbollah has largely weakened the Islamic militant group.
Pezeshkian’s visit to Russia also comes just days before pro-Iranian Trump returns to power.
The US president-elect, who is seeking an early end to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, has made repeated military threats against the Islamic Republic.
During his first term, Republicans withdrew from a multinational agreement that had provided relief to Iran in exchange for sanctions relief over its nuclear program.
In 2020, Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq on Trump’s orders, sparking a wave of anger in Iran.
Trump warned last year that the US would “wipe (Iran) off the face of the earth” if a recent alleged Iranian plot to assassinate him was successful.
