Iran, Russia Sign Pact On Military, Trade Cooperation

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

MOSCOW/TEHRAN (Worthy News) – The world faced more security challenges Saturday after Russia and Iran signed a controversial 20-year “strategic partnership” that was due to worry Israel, Ukraine, and their Western allies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian agreed to deepen military ties between their countries through the accord.

Russian and Iranian officials stressed that the “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty,” inked Friday in Moscow, also covers trade, science, culture, and education.

But the military part apparently keeps world leaders awake at night.

Russia and Iran agreed to increase cooperation in areas such as security services, military drills, warship port visits, and joint officer training.

According to the text, neither will allow its territory to be used for actions that threaten the other and will provide no help to an aggressor attacking either nation. The text also pledged that they would work on countering military threats.

But it did not yet include a mutual defense clause in a treaty between Russia and North Korea, which the West says has seen North Korean troops deployed to fight in Ukraine, something Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied.

ARMS TRANSFERS

Additionally, arms transfers, a topic of particular concern to the U.S. and its allies, were not specifically mentioned.

However, the two sides said they would develop “military-technical cooperation.”

It was unclear whether the transfer or sales of weapons to each other was deliberately kept under the radar at a time when thousands of Iran-made drones have reportedly been used in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Iran’s self-detonating “Shahed” drones were used by Moscow, especially in its nightly strikes on Ukraine, according to Ukrainian and Western officials.

At a joint news conference with Pezeshkian in Moscow, Putin praised the deal as a “real breakthrough, creating conditions for the stable and sustainable development of Russia, Iran, and the entire region.”

Israel was due to monitor developments closely following its recent air strikes in Iran after Tehran had attacked the Jewish nation with missiles and drones.

Kyiv, which has asked for more Western military support, also raised concern over the military ties between Tehran and Moscow, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

MORE COOPERATION

Besides cooperation with Iran, Russia already deploys North Korean troops in its ongoing war against Ukraine, further internationalizing Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War Two.

Establishing closer ties with Iran, China, and North Korea is seen as part of Putin’s attempt to challenge what he views as “the U.S.-led “global hegemony.”

Pezeshkian, who spoke of a “new chapter” with Russia, visited Moscow while his Islamic Republic tackled major foreign policy setbacks.

These included a Syrian opposition offensive that toppled Syria’s longtime President Bashar al-Assad, a key Russian and Iranian ally, and the weakening of the Iran-aligned Lebanese armed Hezbollah group following a war with Israel.

The treaty was signed just days before Donald J. Trump’s return to power on January 20 as the 47th president of the United States.

The U.S. president-elect has threatened swift action to end conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

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