The Russian foreign ministry announced on Tuesday that Russia and Iran are expediting efforts on a “major new interstate agreement.” The details of the agreement were not specified, but it follows the deepening political, trade, and military connections between Moscow and Tehran, causing concern for the United States. A joint statement revealed that the foreign ministers of both countries agreed during a Monday phone call to hasten the finalization of the agreement, describing it as being at “a high stage of readiness.”
In a meeting last week at the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin engaged in five hours of discussions with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Similar to North Korea’s ties with Russia, which were demonstrated in a meeting between Kim Jong Un and Putin in Russia’s far east in September, Iran’s adversarial stance toward the United States positions it as a potential source of military equipment for Russia’s involvement in Ukraine, where Iranian drones have been extensively employed.
The Kremlin, acknowledging the development of relations with Iran, especially in military-technical cooperation, refrained from commenting on the White House’s suggestion that Iran might supply Russia with ballistic missiles. Iran’s support for Hamas, a longstanding adversary of Israel, has drawn criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who expressed “robust disapproval” of Russia’s perceived risky collaboration with Iran in a recent phone call with Putin.
Iran has affirmed the expanding nature of its military cooperation with Russia, revealing arrangements for Russia to supply Su-35 fighter jets, Mi-28 attack helicopters, and Yak-130 pilot training aircraft, as disclosed last month.
