Russian delegation arrives in Iran on a visit: what is known

A Russian delegation has arrived in Tehran for a visit that includes a meeting with Iranian President Massoud Peseshkian, according to Russian media. This comes as the two countries are preparing to sign a comprehensive cooperation agreement, Reuters reports, UNN writes.

Details

Iran and Russia are working to set a date for the completion of the deal, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai said on Monday, adding that the agreement should be signed during a bilateral visit in January.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Russia has been developing closer ties with Iran and other countries unfriendly to the United States, such as North Korea, the newspaper points out.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in October that Moscow and Tehran intend to sign an agreement that will include closer defense cooperation.

The Russian delegation to Iran is headed by Deputy Prime Ministers Alexei Overchuk and Vitaly Savelyev, according to Russian media.

"The parties are expected to discuss joint work between Iran and the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) within the framework of a full-fledged free trade agreement," RosMedia writes.

The Russian media also cited Savelyev as saying that the purpose of the Russian delegation's visit to Tehran was to "resolve transport and logistics issues with Iran.

According to rossi media, citing Pezeshkian's press service, Savelyev conveyed to the Iranian president an invitation from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to visit Russia "in the first days of 2025.

Addendum

In September, the United States accused Tehran of supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine and imposed sanctions on ships and companies it said were involved in the supply of Iranian weapons. Tehran denies supplying missiles to Moscow, Reuters notes.