Tehran, Moscow Strengthen Strategic and Economic Ties

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has reaffirmed Tehran’s commitment to strengthening political and economic cooperation with Russia.

During a meeting on November 19 with Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian President’s Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa, Araghchi highlighted the “excellent relations between the two countries,” as reported by the IRNA news agency. He emphasized the importance of expanding long-term and comprehensive economic cooperation with Russia “at the highest level.”

Araghchi also expressed concern over the potential escalation of regional conflicts, attributing the current Middle East crisis to Israel’s “aggressive actions” and accusing the U.S. of providing “all-out political and military” support to Israel.

Bogdanov also held discussions with Ali Asghar Khaji, Senior Advisor to Iran’s Foreign Minister on Special Political Affairs, on the same day. Both officials expressed concern about the critical situation in the region. Khaji condemned U.S. and Israeli support for “terrorist and separatist groups” in Syria and called on all parties to respect Syria’s territorial integrity and cease external interferences threatening regional stability.

Khaji also dismissed recent reports suggesting that Tehran had decided to reduce its personnel in Syria. He refuted rumors of Iranian militia commanders leaving positions in the country’s south and east. Similarly, Moscow denied claims that Iran was using Russia’s Hmeimim airbase in Syria to transport arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Bogdanov arrived in Tehran accompanied by an economic delegation, including Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilyov, who co-chairs the Iranian-Russian Joint Economic Commission. On November 20, Tsivilyov met with Iran’s First Vice-President Mohammadreza Aref to discuss expanding economic cooperation “at the highest level.” Both sides highlighted the significant potential for collaboration across various economic sectors and stressed the importance of implementing existing agreements.

Iran and Russia, both subject to extensive Western sanctions, have increasingly deepened their ties, particularly since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The two countries’ presidents are preparing to sign an “Agreement on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” in the near future. In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a proposal from his Foreign Ministry to formalize this agreement, which aims to enhance their strategic and economic cooperation as they seek to counter Western influence.

In an interview with the Russian news agency RIA Novosti on November 19, Iran’s Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, stated that no obstacles remain to finalizing the agreement on comprehensive strategic cooperation. He added that all necessary preparations have been completed. Although a specific date for the Iranian president’s visit to Russia for the signing ceremony has not yet been set, Jalali noted that both sides are actively coordinating to determine a suitable time for the event.

Tehran and Moscow previously established a 20-year strategic agreement in 2001, which encompassed collaboration in industry, technology, security, energy, and nuclear power development. This agreement was automatically extended for five years in 2020, with both nations agreeing to draft a new long-term strategic accord.

In a move to circumvent Western sanctions, Iran recently linked its banking system, Shetab, to Russia’s Mir payment system on November 11. In the initial phase, Iranians can use their cards to withdraw money from Russian ATMs. In the second phase, Russian citizens will be able to use their Mir cards, Russia’s alternative to Visa and MasterCard, in Iran. In the final stage, Iranian banking cards will be accepted in Russian retail outlets.

Currently, Russia’s Mir cards are accepted in only a few countries, including Iran, Venezuela, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Cuba. However, concerns about secondary Western sanctions have limited their adoption, even among Russia’s allies, following its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.