Russia and Iran say they are in the process of negotiating a new partnership agreement. A spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, says Moscow is working out a significant deal with Iran, stressing that it differs from previous agreements such as the one with North Korea. She has highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Tehran and Moscow, especially after Iran’s accession to the BRICS+ group.
Last year, the two countries also agreed to conduct trade using their local currencies instead of the US dollar, further strengthening their economic ties. In addition, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, a new interstate treaty reflecting enhanced relations between Russia and Iran was recently finalized. With Iran’s accession to BRICS, the alliance continues to strengthen its internal ties between member states.
Iran’s engagement with BRICS, including strengthened relations with China, also boosted oil exports to a six-year high, contributing significantly to economic momentum within BRICS following its expansion in 2023. Since the state of the war in Ukraine, Russia has moved to strengthen its political, trade and military ties with Iran in a deepening relationship that the United States and Israel view with concern. Moscow and Tehran are pushing against what they see as damaging U.S. foreign policy and want to establish what they say would be a fairer multipolar world order.
Work on a new major agreement between Moscow and Tehran was first announced in September 2022 during a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the late President of the Islamic Republic Ebrahim Raisi.
Raisi, a hardliner seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed when his helicopter crashed in May. In January, Russia’s Foreign Ministry had said a new interstate treaty reflecting the “unprecedented upswing” in Russia-Iran ties was in the final stages of being agreed, and Putin and Raisi were expected to sign it soon.
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