Russia, Iran to sign strategic partnership agreement on Jan. 17

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, will sign a strategic partnership agreement during the latter's visit to Russia on Jan. 17, the Kremlin's press service said.

The two leaders are also expected to discuss expanding Russian-Iranian bilateral cooperation in "trade, investment, transport, logistics, humanitarian sphere, and current issues on the regional and international agenda," the statement read.

In December 2024, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced plans to pen the deal by the end of January. The agreement is expected to cement the growing military and political partnership between Russia and Iran.

According to The Moscow Times, the Russian-Iranian partnership agreement will focus on transport, energy, defense, and regional cooperation. The North-South Transport Corridor, an infrastructure project connecting Russia, Iran, and several other countries, is expected to be one of the "central pillars" of the partnership.

Moscow has been Tehran's traditional partner, 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.

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.

Their alliance suffered a major blow last December when Syrian rebels ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad, who was supported by both Russia and Iran.

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.

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The Kyiv IndependentChris York