General
Iran’s Leader in Moscow to Sign Cooperation Treaty With Russia
The agreement will stop short of a military alliance, but it is expected to formalize an increasingly close relationship between Moscow and Tehran.
President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran arrived in Moscow on Friday for high-profile talks with Vladimir V. Putin, his Russian counterpart, solidifying an alliance between two countries driven by a mutual desire to challenge the West.
Iran and Russia have been subjected to a raft of sanctions by the West, and trade and finance are at the forefront of a strategic cooperation agreement that the two leaders are expected to sign.
The agreement is also expected to cover military issues, but in contrast to accords that Moscow has signed with other allies, the deal with Iran stops short of including a mutual defense clause, according to Iran’s ambassador to Moscow.
“Our country’s independence and security, as well as self-reliance, are very important,” Kazem Jalali, told IRNA, an Iranian news agency, according to TASS. “We are not interested in joining any bloc.”
Before Mr. Pezeshkian’s arrival, Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, said the signing of the treaty would be a “very important event” for Russia, and Iranian leaders have portrayed the president’s trip as more than just a state visit, saying it represented a strategic turning point.
“This treaty is not only a key turning point that strengthens our bilateral ties,” wrote Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, on the social media network Telegram. He added, “This is not just a political agreement, it’s the road map to the future.”
