Russian President Vladimir Putin received his Iranian counterpart at the Kremlin, where the two leaders notably announced a strengthening of their “military cooperation.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Massoud Pezeshkian signed this Friday, January 17 at the Kremlin a strategic partnership agreement strengthening in particular their “military cooperation”, within the framework of their alliance intended as a counterweight to any “diktat” of the West.
Subject to heavy international sanctions which affect their economies, Russia and Iran have made an accelerated rapprochement in recent years, particularly since the assault on Ukraine.
“Ambitious goals”
The two countries also suffered, in December, a common failure and a loss of influence with the flight from Syria of their ally Bashar al-Assad. On Friday, Vladimir Putin and Massoud Pezeshkian signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership agreement”, a pact covering multiple areas.
It is a text “with ambitious objectives”, praised Vladimir Putin, affirming that Moscow and Tehran together opposed “any diktat coming from outside”. Massoud Pezeshkian was satisfied with an agreement which will open “horizons” between the two countries.
The agreement provides in particular to “develop military cooperation” and to support each other in the face of “security threats”, according to the content of the agreement in 47 articles published by the Kremlin after the signing.
According to the document, if Russia or Iran faced “aggression”, the other country would not provide any “aid” to the aggressor country. This point does not, however, provide that the signatory countries would provide each other with military assistance in this scenario.
“The construction of nuclear energy installations” mentioned
Moscow concluded a text of the same name with North Korea last year. An article in this document provides for “immediate military aid” in the event of armed aggression from a third country.
But the head of Iranian diplomacy, Abbas Araghchi, quoted by Russian media, affirmed this week that the treaty with Tehran was not aimed at “creating a military alliance” similar to that sealed between Moscow and Pyongyang.
North Korea is accused by kyiv and the West of having sent soldiers to fight with the Russian army against Ukrainian forces. Moscow and Pyongyang have neither confirmed nor denied.
Tehran, for its part, is accused by the West of supplying explosive drones and short-range missiles to Russia, thus helping the Russian army in Ukraine. Accusations rejected by Iran.
The agreement signed this Friday also provides for exchanges “in the field of peaceful uses of atomic energy”, in particular “the construction of nuclear energy installations”.
Tehran and Moscow want to be counterweights, along with Beijing and Pyongyang, to American influence. They have forged close ties and support each other on numerous international issues, from the Middle East to the conflict in Ukraine.
-The question of Gaza raised
This signing comes a few days before the return to power in Washington of Donald Trump, architect of a so-called “maximum pressure” policy towards Iran during his first term between 2017 and 2021.
The American president-elect also promised to quickly end the conflict in Ukraine, without specifying how.
On Friday, Massoud Pezeshkian called during his joint press conference with Vladimir Putin for “negotiations and peace” between Moscow and kyiv, three years after the start of the assault launched by the Kremlin.
A previous Russian translation of his remarks referred to a “political settlement” of this conflict.
The two leaders said they discussed the truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, with Vladimir Putin saying he hoped for “long-term stabilization”.
“We hope that a permanent ceasefire will be established in Gaza and that the aggressions on this land will stop,” Massoud Pezeshkian said.
“Iran and Russia, aware of their historical responsibility, are building a new order,” wrote Abbas Araghchi, the head of Iranian diplomacy, in an article published this week by the Russian news agency Ria Novosti.
He affirmed that it was a question of replacing “hegemony”, implied by the West – with “cooperation”.
Massoud Pezeshkian, who arrived in Moscow on Friday morning, had earlier laid a wreath in front of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and met Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
The last meeting between Pezeshkian and Putin was in October, during the BRICS summit in Russia. Vladimir Putin then called for consolidating the “positive dynamic” regarding their economic cooperation.
Russia particularly wishes to develop a logistics, rail and maritime corridor project, between Moscow, Baku and Tehran, on a north-south axis.
Vladimir Putin visited Iran in July 2022, while the head of Russian diplomacy Sergei Lavrov was received in Tehran last October for discussions with the leaders of the region.
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