Russia and Iran will sign a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty on January 17 during Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkyan's visit to Moscow, AFP reports.
"On January 17, Vladimir Putin will hold talks with President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Massoud Pezekshkian, who will arrive in Moscow on an official visit," the Kremlin said, adding that the two leaders "will sign the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty."
The heads of state are also expected to discuss the expansion of Russian-Iranian bilateral cooperation in "trade, investment, transport, logistics, the humanitarian sphere and topical issues on the regional and international agenda," the statement said.
In December 2024, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said it planned to sign the agreement by the end of January. The agreement is expected to cement the growing military and political partnership between Moscow and Tehran.
Russia has been Iran's traditional partner, but their cooperation only intensified after Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine broke out in 2022. Iran has provided Russia with thousands of Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles used in attacks on Ukrainian cities, as well as short-range ballistic missiles.
In June last year, Putin signed a similar agreement with North Korea under which the two countries agreed to provide military support to each other in the event of an armed attack. A month after the agreement was signed, North Korea sent up to 12,000 troops to help repel a Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region. | BGNES
