Concern at prospect of military alliance grows as Russia and Iran sign cooperation deal

Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a broad cooperation pact in Moscow on Friday that deepens their ties across multiple spheres, including defence, the Kremlin has announced.

The deal, which has been described as a “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty”, the same term used for the deal Moscow signed with Pyongyang last year, also covers the fight against terrorism, energy, industry and technology, according to Russian news agency TASS.

While Pezeshkian hailed the signing of the agreement as a “solid foundation for moving forward” ahead of his talks with Putin, he chose to focus on “cultural, economic and humanitarian” cooperation in his opening statement, which was later published by the Kremlin.

Putin also made no mention of military cooperation, noting that “trade and economic cooperation” with Iran would be among the most important aspects of the deal for Russia.

Both statements echoed a statement made by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday in which he said that while the agreement did cover security and defence cooperation, it did not signal the creation of a military alliance and would be primarily focused on trade and economic development.

Nevertheless, fears of a burgeoning military alliance between Tehran and Moscow have risen in recent days, with The Times reporting on Sunday that Iran had been conducting secret shuttle diplomacy with Russia over bolstering its military and defence capabilities, and had been attempting to negotiate Russian assistance for its nuclear programme and air defences.