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Russia and Iran agreed to closer military cooperation, in a move announced during a visit to Moscow by President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The two countries signed a 20-year “strategic partnership” treaty, covering areas ranging from defense and technology to energy and trade.
Iran already supplies Russia with drones and, according to Western intelligence, ballistic missiles.
Russia has cultivated closer ties with Iran, along with China and North Korea, since it began its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In the treaty, Russia and Iran committed to consult and cooperate to address military and security threats, as well as to participate in joint military exercises both on their territories and beyond.
They also agreed not to allow their territories to be used for actions that threatened the other side.
Iran’s President Pezeshkian said the signing of the deal meant Russia and Iran were entering a new chapter in relations.
Trade between the two countries could be significantly improved through greater cooperation in the energy sector.
During a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country was considering building new nuclear power units in Iran.
Moscow is also looking to sell some of its surplus gas to Tehran. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the EU has significantly reduced gas imports from Russia, prompting Moscow to recruit new customers.
A gas pipeline project from Russia to Iran, which the countries are negotiating, will run through Azerbaijan’s territory if it goes ahead, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday, citing Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev.
Russia could eventually supply up to 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year to Iran, Putin said.
