On 17 January, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will visit Moscow, where he will sign a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’ agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This was reported by Radio Svoboda with reference to the Kremlin's press service.
‘On 17 January, Vladimir Putin will hold talks with President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian, who will arrive in Moscow on an official visit,’ the statement said.
The Kremlin also said that during the visit, they will ‘discuss the prospects for further expansion of bilateral cooperation, including in trade and investment, transport and logistics, and humanitarian spheres, as well as topical issues of the regional and international agenda’.
As previously reported by Reuters, Russia and Iran were planning to sign the agreement on ‘comprehensive cooperation’ in October last year, at the BRICS summit.
The next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United Kingdom, France and Germany over its nuclear programme is due to take place in Geneva on 13 January.
- Russia and Iran are under Western sanctions and have intensified bilateral cooperation in recent years. In particular, Iran supplies Russia with Shahed missiles and drones, which the Russians use to attack Ukraine.
- Earlier, the American Institute for the Study of War reported that Iran and Russia continue to demonstrate a desire to deepen bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation. Last July, Iranian President Pezeshkian published an article in the Tehran Times in which he praised China and Russia for supporting Iran in ‘difficult times’. He also said that he hopes to improve ties with Europe, and that the United States ‘must understand that Iran will not respond to pressure’.
- Iran is supplying Moscow with drones for the war against Ukraine. Because of this, the US expanded the sanctions list to include four companies from Iran. These organisations assisted in the production and transport of combat drones to Russia. Also in May last year, the EU Council decided to extend restrictive measures against Iran because of its military support for Russia's war against Ukraine and militants in the Middle East and the Red Sea region, and after Iran's attacks on Israel on 13 April.
- In April 2024, the United States and Britain imposed sanctions on Iran, with the Shahed manufacturers being blacklisted.
- In May, the media reported that Tehran had begun supplying the Kremlin with the latest weapons.
- Later, it also became known that Iran had transferred ballistic missiles to Russia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed this information, stating that Tehran had handed over Fath-360 short-range ballistic missiles with a range of 120 km to Moscow and would probably use them against Ukraine in a few weeks.
- In response, Britain imposed new sanctions on Iran and Russia. Other states are also threatening restrictive measures.