President Vladimir Putin and President Masoud Pezeshkian Meet at the Kremlin, Global Politics Heat Up
Moscow, January 17: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held talks at the Kremlin on Friday and signed a broad cooperation agreement to deepen their partnership.
The "comprehensive strategic partnership treaty" will cover various areas, including trade, military cooperation, science, education, and culture, according to the Kremlin.
Pezeshkian's visit comes ahead of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to mediate peace in the Ukraine war and take a tougher stance on Iran. Iran is currently facing economic issues and military setbacks in its sphere of influence in the Middle East.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed any connection between the treaty signing and Trump's inauguration, stating that the agreement had been planned well in advance.
Welcoming Pezeshkian, Putin said the new treaty would "give an additional boost to all areas of our cooperation." Pezeshkian, meeting with Putin for the third time since coming to power in July, said the treaty forms "a solid foundation for our future progress" and highlighted the "strategic importance" of ties with Moscow. He emphasized that regional issues should be resolved by the countries themselves, and the presence of external forces only exacerbates tensions and destabilizes the situation.
Russia and Iran's relationship has grown closer since Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Previously, Russia built Iran's first nuclear plant, which was launched in 2013, and is currently constructing two more nuclear reactors.
In 2022, Iran joined the BRICS bloc, and Pezeshkian participated in the BRICS summit hosted by Russia in Kazan.
Iran is currently grappling with Western sanctions and various military challenges in the Middle East. To bolster its military capacity, Iran seeks advanced Russian weapons, particularly long-range air defense systems and fighter jets.
