TEHRAN - Russia’s lower house of parliament has ratified a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with Iran, marking a significant step in the expansion of political, military, and economic relations between Moscow and Tehran.
Lawmakers in the State Duma approved the 20-year treaty on Tuesday.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the agreement in Moscow in January. Putin submitted it to the State Duma in March.
When the treaty was signed in January, the Russian leader said it was a “breakthrough document,” and the Iranian president said it would “open a new chapter in relations between Iran and Russia in all fields.”
It provides the legal framework for the long-term development of cooperation in areas ranging from defense, energy, finances, and transportation to industries, agriculture, culture, science, and technology.
Based on the treaty, Russia and Iran are committed to helping each other counter common “security threats” and exchange intelligence in that direction.
The agreement also stipulates that if either side is subjected to aggression, the other will not provide “assistance to the aggressor.”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said in an address to the State Duma, “The signing of the treaty does not mean the establishment of a military alliance with Iran or mutual military assistance.”
The Russia-Iran treaty promotes investment in oil and gas development, joint long-term projects in peaceful nuclear energy, and the creation of a payment system independent of third countries, which uses national currencies.
State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said earlier that the treaty would strengthen relations in terms of both bilateral cooperation and coordination on international issues.
He said the agreement underscores the expansion of inter-parliamentary relations, including within international parliamentary organizations and through the commission on cooperation between the State Duma and the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iran and Russia, as two close and strategic allies, have over the past years deepened relations in various fields, despite heavy Western sanctions.
The Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has said Moscow is in continuous consultations with Tehran and is ready to take necessary steps to resolve tensions between the U.S. and Iran through “political and diplomatic avenues.”