Iran and Russia, two of the most-sanctioned nations in the world, have signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty as Moscow and Tehran deepen cooperation that has steadily increased since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian, on his first visit to the Kremlin since he won a presidential election last July, signed the pact in Moscow on January 17 after meeting for talks that both leaders said would strengthen relations in a broad spectrum of areas.
The new treaty, which runs for 20 years, aims to strengthen Tehran and Moscow's "military-political and trade-economic" relations, the Kremlin said.
While details of the agreement are scarce, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference on January 15 that the treaty “is constructive in nature and is aimed at strengthening the capabilities of Russia, Iran, and our friends in various parts of the world."
The agreement reportedly does not include a mutual defense clause.
SEE ALSO: Analysis: A Weakened Iran's New Russia Pact Comes In Shadow Of DistrustRussia and Iran are both under severe Western sanctions, including restrictions on their energy industries.
Pezeshkian’s visit and the signing of the treaty are further signs of the deepening relationship between Tehran and Moscow. The two countries have also expanded their military cooperation despite warnings from Western countries over the supply of Iranian-made Shahed drones to Russia.
Europe and the United States have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Iranian entities and individuals for providing various types of support to Russia, including the Shaheds. Iran claims to be "neutral" in the Ukraine war.
Pezeshkian's visit to Russia comes just days before President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Trump, who withdrew the United States from an international deal designed to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief and ordered the killing of one of Iran's top generals in 2020, was the target of an alleged Iranian plot to kill him last year.