Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law ratifying a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with Iran.
The agreement establishes a legal framework for the further development of cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, the Russian news agency Tass reported.
It guarantees the status of Russia and Iran as strategic partners and covers all spheres, including defense, counterterrorism, energy, finance, transport, industry, agriculture, science, culture and technology.
The elements of the agreement include: Moscow and Tehran agreed to support trade and economic cooperation in all areas of mutual interest; the parties will closely cooperate in conducting joint military exercises; if one of the countries is subjected to aggression, the other should not provide the aggressor with assistance that would facilitate the continuation of the attack.
Russia and Iran will not allow their territories to be used to support separatist movements that threaten their territorial integrity; Moscow and Tehran will cooperate in combating international terrorism and other challenges and threats; the countries intend to oppose the use of unilateral coercive measures and consider their introduction to be an internationally illegal act.
It is further stated that Moscow and Tehran will refrain from joining third countries in mutual sanctions and guarantee the non-application of unilateral coercive measures; they agreed to promote cooperation between the media of the two countries in combating disinformation and negative propaganda; Moscow and Tehran will provide each other with possible assistance in preventing natural and man-made disasters; the gas pipeline from Russia to Iran will pass through Azerbaijan, the parties agree on approaches to the price.
It further agrees to cooperate with the aim of creating a payment infrastructure independent of third countries; Russia and Iran are interested in joint projects in the field of peaceful nuclear energy, including the construction of nuclear power facilities.
The contract is concluded for 20 years with automatic renewal for subsequent five-year periods.
This document should replace the current Agreement on the Basics of Relations and Principles of Cooperation between Russia and Iran, signed in 2001. Work on the new agreement has been ongoing since 2022, and in June of last year it became known that the parties had agreed on its text. As the Kremlin noted earlier, this document reflects the rise of bilateral relations to a new level.
