Two of America's rivals are solidifying their ties just days before President-elect Trump's historic return to the Oval Office. And Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian They meet in Moscow to sign the partnership treaty.
Pezeshkian, who won the presidency in Iran's July runoff elections, is scheduled to participate in talks with Putin and participate in the signing of the association agreement during his first trip to Moscow as president.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the press, according to a Reuters report, “Iran is an important partner for us and we are working with it to develop multifaceted cooperation.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian shake hands during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, January 17, 2025. (Reuters/Evgenia Novozinina)
The leaders of Russia and Iran are expected to discuss developing transit corridors for trade and energy negotiations. Bloomberg reported. Bloomberg added that while Iran is looking to become a hub for Russian gas, there are no signs that the two countries have made significant progress on the project.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan recently claimed that the Biden administration is leaving Russia, China and Iran “weaker” before Trump returns to Washington, even as the Kremlin makes its own moves on the world stage.
Amid the sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies. Russia has deepened its relations With other countries hostile to the West, such as Iran and North Korea. In fact, relations between Russia and Iran have grown since Putin's invasion of Ukraine, which led to a years-long war.
Vladimir Putin, left, and Volodymyr Zelensky, right (Reuters/AP)
President-elect Trump's new special envoy to Ukraine and Russia retired. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg The United States has already urged a return to a policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran.
“For the United States, the maximum pressure policy must be restored, and it must be restored with the help of the rest of the world, and this includes standing with the Iranian people and their aspirations for democracy,” Kellogg said at an event. Sponsored by an Iranian opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, in Paris.
Kellogg also urges the United States to stand with the Iranian people against the regime in Tehran.
Blinken confirms that Iran is supplying Russia with short-range ballistic missiles
Despite concerns from the United States and its allies about the treaty, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the association agreement should not be a cause for concern.
Lavrov said: “This agreement, like our treaty with North Korea, is not directed against anyone.” Sky News.
In June, Putin met with North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, where the two signed an aid agreement that brought the two countries closer than at any time since the fall of the Soviet Union. Putin also expressed gratitude for Kim's “steadfast support” for the ongoing war with Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pose for a photo during a signing ceremony after bilateral talks in Pyongyang, North Korea, June 19, 2024. (Sputnik/Kristina Kormilitsyna/The Kremlin via Reuters)
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US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said: “We have seen (…) Russia desperately trying to develop and strengthen relations with countries that can provide it with what it needs to continue the aggressive war it started against Ukraine.” at that time.
He added that the United States “will do everything in its power to cut off support provided by countries such as Iran and North Korea.”
