(Bloomberg) -- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described ties with Russia as “strategic” as he met counterpart Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit, which his nation is attending for the first time as a full member.
Iran’s participation in the emerging nations’ group comes amid US-led efforts to isolate the nation and growing concerns shared by Washington and its allies over the deepening military ties between Tehran and Moscow.
“We are getting new possibilities for joint work in the international arena,” Putin said in televised remarks Wednesday.
Iran sent ballistic missiles to Russia last month, according to US and European assessments, stepping up its support for Moscow as the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine is well into its third year. That prompted penalties from the US, Germany, France and the UK, with the European Union set to follow.
Iran has supplied Moscow with hundreds of attack drones and other weapons and is providing technology for a Russian manufacturing facility that’s meant to mass produce more of those aircraft by 2025, according to the US. Tehran denies sending weapons to Russia since the start of its February 2022 invasion.
In return, Russia has offered “unprecedented” military cooperation to Iran, according to the US. Iran is seeking Russia’s S-400 advanced air defense system, which would allow it to better protect assets including its nuclear facilities.
Tehran wants Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, which would transform an aging air force that’s been sanctioned for decades. The two countries signed an agreement last year to cooperate on cybersecurity, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported at the time. Iran has used a Russian carrier to launch satellites.
On trade, Iran and Russia are spending billions of dollars on new routes that bypass the West and link them with fast-growing Asian economies. Pezeshkian accepted an invitation to come to Russia to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement, Putin said.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.