Russia, Iran harden military, trade ties

MOSCOW:

Russia and Iran signed a new treaty on Friday underpinning their economic and military cooperation, in what both sides cast as a major milestone in their relations.

Moscow has looked to the Islamic republic as a strategic ally since sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022, worrying Western officials who see both as malign actors on the world stage.

The two sides agreed to help each other counter common "security threats", according to a copy of the text published by the Kremlin. But they stopped short of a mutual defence pact like the one signed between Russia and North Korea last year.

They also agreed that if either side was subjected to aggression, the other would not provide "assistance to the aggressor".

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, who signed the agreement together at a ceremony in the Kremlin, both hailed the accord as a new chapter in their ties.

"This truly breakthrough document is aimed at creating the necessary conditions for the stable and sustainable development of Russia and Iran and our entire Eurasian region," Putin said.

Pezeshkian said the pact would "open a new chapter in relations between Iran and Russia in all fields, especially in the field of economic cooperation."

The two sides agreed to "support trade and economic cooperation in all areas", a key point as both sides ramp up trade in the face of heavy Western sanctions on their energy industry.

They also agreed to cooperate on training military personnel, as well as to formalise the docking of warships and vessels at each others' ports.

The agreement did not explicitly reference the exchange of weapons, an area of cooperation that the West has slapped with sanctions.

Iran has already supplied Russia with self-detonating "Shahed" drones that Moscow fires on Ukraine in nightly barrages, according to Ukrainian and Western officials.

Sitting next to Putin in the Kremlin after signing the treaty, Pezeshkian called for a political settlement to end the nearly three-year conflict.

"I would like to remind that war is not a suitable solution to solve problems and we welcome negotiations and achieving peace between the two countries of Russia and Ukraine," he said.