MOSCOW (Dispatches) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, signed a broad cooperation pact Friday as their countries deepened their partnership in the face of Western sanctions.
The “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty” covers all areas from trade and military cooperation to science, education and culture.
Putin greeted Pezeshkian in a grand Kremlin room as they sat down at an ornate table flanked by the two countries’ flags.
“We will discuss all areas of our cooperation and sign a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement,” Putin said. “We have been working on it for a long time and I am very pleased that this work has been completed,” he said, adding it should further boost trade and economic ties.
Putin praised the deal as a “real breakthrough, creating conditions for the stable and sustainable development of Russia, Iran and the entire region.”
He said the amount of trade and economic cooperation was still insufficient, voicing hope the new treaty will help expand them. He said the countries are trying to resolve technical obstacles to advance planned projects to ship Russian natural gas to Iran and build transport corridors to Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf.
Pezeshkian said the projects are feasible, adding that experts were working to resolve the remaining obstacles.
Welcoming Pezeshkian as they sat down for talks, Putin said the new treaty will “give an additional impulse to practically all areas of our cooperation.”
Pezeshkian, who met Putin for the third time since coming to power in July, said the documents form a “solid foundation for our forward movement.”
“We do consider our relations with you as vital, sensitive and strategic, and we are on this path strongly,” he said.
The Iranian president emphasized that countries in the region should resolve their own problems themselves, adding in an apparent reference to the U.S. that the presence of outside forces will only exacerbate tensions and destabilize the situation.
“They come from another side of the world to make chaos in the region,” he said. “These ties will defuse their plot, definitely.”
Russia and Iran have cultivated closer ties in recent years as part of their shared effort to create a bulwark against Western efforts to isolate them. Doing so affords the two countries the ability to effectively shelter and provide each other with political support, defense assistance, and economic ties.
The two countries share a worldview which seeks to establish an alternative set of international institutions in order to safeguard the interests of the countries outside the Western orbit and balance against those organizations established by the United States in the aftermath of World War II.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasized the significant role of Iran and Russia as major powers in shaping a new global order.
He described the Iran-Russia agreement not merely as a political document but as a roadmap for the future.
A key aspect of the deal is strengthening security and defense cooperation. Drawing on their experience in combating terrorism and extremism, Araghchi noted that this partnership aims to enhance regional and global stability.
He said while it covers defense and security cooperation, “this is a complete and comprehensive treaty, not one focused on a specific purpose, such as a military alliance.”
Last year, Iran joined the BRICS bloc of developing economies and Pezeshkian attended its summit, which was hosted by Russia in Kazan.
Russia and Iran, which had troubled relations in the past, developed cordial ties after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 

1991, with Moscow emerging as a key trade partner.
Russia built Iran’s first nuclear plant that was launched in 2013 and is building two more nuclear reactors there.
Pezeshkian, who held talks with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin before meeting Putin, is accompanied to Moscow by his minister of petroleum, and Western sanctions on the sector and the subject of how to circumvent them are likely to be discussed.
Mishustin said the two countries were working actively to deepen cooperation in the transport, energy, education, tourism and cultural sectors.
In a world moving toward multipolarity, Iran’s strategic alignment with Russia is a smart response to the changing global landscape. This alignment allows Iran to diversify its foreign relations and strengthen its sovereignty in the global arena.
Iran, on the other hand, provides access to an important market and grants ties with a critical regional player with access to key resources and theaters.
By working closely with Russia, Iran not only strengthens its position at the national level, but also increases its diplomatic leverage, allowing it to act more flexibly in complex regional equations and balance its interests.
Both Iran and Russia are developing countries and therefore have a strong need for technologies in industry. They also need to develop the research and development sector to reduce dependence on Western technologies, but this degree of dependence is completely different in the two countries.
Russia has made significant strides in some cutting-edge technologies, which has put it on a strong footing in sectors such as the military and aerospace industries. Iran, on the other hand, has made big advances in such fields as nanotechnology, biotechnology and medicine.
By diversifying their economies and reducing their dependence on the West, Iran and Russia can increase their economic flexibility and resilience in the face of sanctions.
Pezeshkian arrived in Moscow from Dushanbe where he held talks with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon on bilateral, regional and international issues and oversaw the signing of 23 documents on cooperation in different fields.
“We hope that by implementing these agreements, we will see significant steps towards increased interaction and achieving our desired goals,” Pezeshkian said in a joint press conference on Thursday.
Iran and Tajikistan have numerous shared interests, he said, noting, “the necessary groundwork to surpass the half-billion-dollar trademark between our nations is achievable.”
Pezeshkian also met with the Iranians residing in Tajikistan and received an honorary diploma along with an honorary professorship at the Avicenna Tajik State Medical University (ATSMU).