Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov disclosed at the Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security in Belarus on Thursday that a forthcoming arrangement between his country and the Islamic Republic will feature mutual defense provisions.
"The treaty on a comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Iran that is being prepared will become a serious factor in strengthening Russian-Iranian relations,” Lavrov said without going into any specific details of the accord. "It will confirm the parties' desire for closer cooperation in the field of defense and interaction in the interests of peace and security at the regional and global levels."
The agreement, revealed at this month’s BRICS summit in Kazan, comes as the two nations have deepened their bilateral engagement following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the resulting sanctions imposed on the Eurasian state.
Evidence recovered from the battlefield suggests the Iranian regime has been supplying the Russian military with munitions for use against the Ukrainian armed forces. In exchange for the assistance, the Kremlin has provided Tehran with advanced aircraft, air defense systems, and technical resources.
Last week, Russian lawmakers approved a similar measure with North Korea, following the confirmation by NATO officials that Pyongyang had dispatched thousands of combat personnel to the Ukrainian border region to assist in the operations against the government in Kiev.
The Islamic Republic’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, is expected to sign the pact before the end of the year.
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