Iran’s parliament has on Wednesday approved a 20-year strategic partnership between Moscow and Tehran, state media said.
The deal is a deepening of the bilateral relations involving closer defence cooperation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian signed the strategic partnership document on January 17.
The Russian parliament ratified the agreement in April. Though there is no mutual defence article in the agreement, it states that the two nations will cooperate against shared military threats, enhance their military-technical cooperation, and participate in joint exercises.
Since the conflict in Ukraine began in 2022, Iran and Russia have strengthened military cooperation. Western nations have accused Iran of supplying missiles and drones for use in Russian strikes on Ukraine. Tehran has denied exporting weapons for Russian use in Ukraine.
The strategic agreement has also contained a number of clauses seeking to enhance economic cooperation, particularly by enhancing direct interbank cooperation as well as encouraging their national financial instruments.
A free trade agreement between Iran and the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union came into force last week, reducing tariffs to increase trade between the two economies, both subject to stiff Western sanctions.
