Stanislav Ivanov, Leading Researcher, Center for International Security, IMEMO RAS, Candidate of Historical Sciences

The visit of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ibrahim Raisi, to the Russian Federation on January 19-20, 2022 turned out to be extremely timely not only for “synchronizing the clocks” of the two leaders on the most important and pressing issues of the international agenda, but also for giving a new impetus to the strategic bilateral partnership.

Like the rest of the world, Russia and Iran are facing the coronavirus pandemic, both are facing various restrictive sanctions from the United States and its Western allies, they share a common maritime border across the Caspian Sea, and are interested in strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation, as well as enhancing regional security. .

At the Russian-Iranian summit, issues relevant to both countries were discussed, such as the fight against international terrorism, the full restoration of the nuclear deal in the 5 + 1 format (JCPOA), cooperation between the two countries within the framework of regional organizations (EAEU and SCO), strategic bilateral partnership, etc.

The President of Iran, in a conversation with his Russian counterpart, stressed that he sees future relations with Russia as long-term, permanent and strategic. The Iranian leader also said that the current volume of Russian-Iranian trade and economic relations (about $4 billion a year) can be increased several times in the coming years.

The Iranian side received a proposal from Russia to create a new, completely different type of association, where countries will interact in various fields: politics, economy, trade, culture, education, science, modern technologies, defense and military spheres, security issues, aviation, space and etc. It was also proposed to create a regional currency zone independent of the US dollar. It is reported that during the negotiations, the Iranian side handed over to Russia the draft agreements prepared by Tehran with the Russian Federation for the next 20 years.

Iran proposed to extend the accumulated joint experience in the fight against terrorism in Syria to other areas. In order to strengthen regional security, Iran called on the Russian Federation and China to closer cooperation in the military and military-technical fields. It is significant that just on January 21, joint Russian-Chinese-Iranian naval exercises were held in the Indian Ocean, in which 14 warships and auxiliary vessels participated.

Although the results and all the details of Raisi’s meetings and negotiations in Moscow are not reported, it can be assumed that the Russian side treated all the statements and proposals of the IRI very attentively and kindly.

Both sides at the talks stressed that thanks to the joint Russian-Iranian efforts, it was possible to preserve the statehood of Syria and eliminate a major hotbed of international terrorism. The coming to power in Kabul of the Taliban movement (banned in the Russian Federation) caused certain fears and concerns in Moscow in connection with the possible growth of the terrorist threat in the Central Asian direction.

Iran shares a common border with Afghanistan. About three million Afghan refugees live in the Iranian border regions. Tehran supports Afghanistan’s Shia-affiliated Hazara community of 4-5 million people. The process of further stabilization of the situation in Afghanistan largely depends on Iran as a whole; therefore Russia is interested in cooperation with Tehran on this track as well.

Particular attention was paid to the importance of maintaining the JCPOA. As you know, the previous US President D. Trump unilaterally initiated his country’s withdrawal from this important nuclear deal. President Biden has expressed the intention of the new administration to return to this agreement, but very difficult negotiations in the 5 + 1 format are still ongoing, as the United States is trying to make amendments to the JCPOA that are beneficial to them. Moscow and Tehran are interested in restoring this deal in full without any additional conditions, amendments or restrictions.

Moscow believes that Washington’s expressed concerns about the development of the Iranian missile program and other issues of regional security should be discussed outside the framework of the JCPOA in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. The lifting of all restrictive sanctions by the US and its Western allies on Iran could help integrate Iran into the world community and reduce tensions in its relations with Washington.

The President of Iran also spoke at the plenary session of the lower house of the Russian parliament – the State Duma, where he stressed that the war against terrorism is only part of the fight against domination and expansion in the world. “NATO is engaged in penetration into the geographical spaces of different countries under various pretexts and covers. The spread of the Western model and opposition to independent democracies, the self-identification of peoples, their culture and traditions – this is precisely on the NATO agenda”, Raisi said.

Obviously, in the face of disruptions in the globalization of all world processes, bilateral and regional cooperation is increasingly in demand. In this regard, the parties noted the importance of Iran’s entry into the SCO as a full member of this authoritative international organization against the backdrop of a growing demand for the creation of new mechanisms for closer interaction between all countries and peoples without interference in their internal affairs. The attempts of Washington and Brussels to impose their own models and standards of the political and social structure of states were defeated in Afghanistan and a number of other countries. A diverse world is striving for multipolarity.