Strategic partnership: Russia and Iran seal cooperation for two decades

Russia and Iran are deepening their military and economic cooperation for the next 20 years. During his visit to Moscow, Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian signed a strategic partnership agreement with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, as Iranian state television showed in a live broadcast.

Experts also assess the cooperation as a response to the growing political isolation of both countries, which has increased significantly since Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Strict international sanctions are weighing heavily on the economies and financial systems of Moscow and Tehran.

The situation in Ukraine was only discussed in passing. Putin and Peseschkian emphasized that regional problems should be resolved by local actors and that there should be no external interference – what was meant here, of course, was only Western support for the attacked country. Otherwise, both heads of state did not comment on the issue.

Cooperation also planned in the defense sector

According to Iranian media, the agreement includes 47 articles and covers cooperation in areas such as military, politics, trade, research, education and culture. The deal comes amid political upheaval in the Middle East and just before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump. After years of top-secret negotiations, only a few details have been made public.

Among other things, both countries want to expand cooperation between their secret services and security authorities, according to a version of the agreement published by Iranian state media. In the defense sector, Moscow and Tehran confirm their intention to deepen military-technical cooperation. Another article of the agreement provides for cooperation in the area of ​​“public order”. According to expert Nicole Grajewski from the Carnegie think tank, this is aimed at mutual support in suppressing dissidents.

Last year, Russia also agreed on a strategic partnership with North Korea, which, among other things, provides for mutual military assistance in the event of an attack by a third country. According to Russian state media, the Iranian side announced in advance that it was taking care of its own security and that there was therefore no provision for an assistance clause. However, both countries are likely to significantly expand their military cooperation.

Common interests reinforced by Western sanctions

In practice, Tehran has already supported Moscow by supplying drones, although the Iranian government officially denies direct war aid. Both countries are also pushing ahead with the construction of a new north-south rail corridor to promote and accelerate trade.

Kremlin leader Putin called trade and economic relations one of the most important chapters of the agreement. He admitted that there is still a lot of catching up to do. According to Russian media, the trade volume of both Caspian Sea neighbors amounts to around four billion dollars a year. Russia makes many times this turnover with other neighbors, Putin said.

Gas pipeline still pending

However, even with specific projects, there are apparently still major problems with implementation. Moscow and Tehran are planning to build a gas pipeline. According to Putin, up to 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year could flow through such a pipeline in the final stage. But so far both sides cannot agree on the price, as Putin indicated.

Russia has largely lost the lucrative European market due to its war of aggression against Ukraine and is now looking for buyers in other parts of the world. But price disputes have already slowed down the Kraft Siberia 2 gas pipeline project to China, which was pushed by Moscow.

Iran is fundamentally interested in gas: despite extensive reserves in the Persian Gulf, the Iranian government is having difficulty producing enough to cover its own needs. The background is the outdated infrastructure, the renewal of which is making little progress due to the sanctions.

To circumvent international financial sanctions, Russia and Iran recently linked their payment systems. However, the growing cooperation is met with sharp criticism from the Iranian population. Many people would like to see a rapprochement with the West instead.

Tehran’s power in the Middle East is waning

Both countries in the Middle East recently suffered serious setbacks. With the overthrow of Syria’s long-term ruler Bashar al-Assad, Iran lost a key ally who, among other things, had facilitated arms deliveries to the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

Russia supported Assad after the outbreak of the civil war more than ten years ago and built important military bases in Syria, which were also used as a hub for Moscow’s influence in Africa. With its attacks on Iran and its allies since the outbreak of the Gaza war, Israel has significantly weakened their position.