Russia says ‘comprehensive’ treaty with Iran will include defense cooperation
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that Russia and Iran intend to sign a “comprehensive” treaty, which will include closer defense cooperation.
“The treaty on a comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Iran that is being prepared will become a serious factor in strengthening Russian-Iranian relations,” Lavrov told state television.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that Russia and Iran intend to sign a “comprehensive” treaty, which will include closer defense cooperation.
“The treaty on a comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Iran that is being prepared will become a serious factor in strengthening Russian-Iranian relations,” Lavrov told state television.
He said the agreement was being prepared for signing “in the near future.” Russia has said it expects Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian to visit Moscow before the end of the year.
“It will confirm the parties’ desire for closer cooperation in the field of defense and interaction in the interests of peace and security at the regional and global levels,” Lavrov said. He did not specify what form the defense ties would take.
Deepening ties between the two authoritarian powers is seen as a threat to Israel, which has been fighting a war against Iranian-backed terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah for over a year.
Closer cooperation between Iran and Russia is also seen by the West as a serious threat to progress in the war in Ukraine, which is entering its third winter of intense fighting.
The United States accused Tehran in September of delivering close-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine, and imposed sanctions on ships and companies it said were involved in delivering Iranian weapons.
Tehran denies providing Moscow with the missiles or with thousands of drones that Kyiv and Western officials have said Russia uses against military targets and to destroy civilian infrastructure, including Ukraine’s electrical grid.
The Kremlin declined to confirm its receipt of Iranian missiles but acknowledged that its cooperation with Iran included “the most sensitive areas.”
Russia has also deepened its ties with Iran and North Korea, which are both strongly antagonistic toward the United States, since the start of its war with Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a similarly titled “comprehensive” treaty in June, including a mutual defense clause, and the US and NATO say Pyongyang has sent some 10,000 soldiers to Russia for possible deployment in the war.
Russia has not denied their presence, and says it will implement the treaty as it sees fit.
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