Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian have signed a strategic partnership agreement in Moscow on Jan. 17, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Moscow and Tehran have long ties but their cooperation only intensified after the outbreak of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022.
Iran has provided Russia with thousands of Shahed drones used in attacks against Ukrainian cities, as well as short-range ballistic missiles.
The document, signed during an official ceremony in the Kremlin, establishes Moscow and Tehran as strategic partners. The agreement covers various areas, including energy, finance, transportation, agriculture, culture, science, technology, and counterterrorism.
Russia and Iran have also agreed to strengthen cooperation in security and defense. According to the agreement, if one of the parties is subjected to aggression, the other will not provide any assistance to the aggressor.
Moscow and Tehran will also deepen partnerships between their special services, and will assist each other in the event of natural, and man-made disasters.
The strategic agreement between Russia and Iran is concluded for 20 years with automatic extension for subsequent 5-year periods.
With Iran's assistance, Russia has begun producing its own variants of Shahed drones called Geran-2.
Iran and Russia have also been at the forefront of confronting what they see as the Western-led global order, with namely Tehran sponsoring militant groups in the Middle East attacking the West's allies.
Last June, Putin signed a similar partnership agreement with North Korea, under which both parties agreed to military support each other in case of an armed attack.
Months after the deal was signed, North Korea dispatched up to 12,000 troops to help fend off a Ukrainian incursion in Kursk Oblast.
Katie Marie Davies
(Updated: )
