Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 17 to sign a cooperation agreement, according to Iranian media reports. The Tasnim news agency cited Kazem Jalali, Iran’s ambassador to Moscow, confirming the visit and the signing of the deal.
Both nations are currently facing international sanctions that limit their trade; however, they have developed robust ties across various sectors, particularly in military cooperation. Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Iran of providing weapons to Russia for its military operations in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, a claim Iran has consistently denied.
On Monday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister for Transport Vitaly Savelyev visited Tehran for discussions with Pezeshkian, focusing on the Rasht-Astara railway project that connects Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia. This railway is part of the broader International North-South Transport Corridor, which aims to link India, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, and other nations.
The last meeting between the two presidents took place during the BRICS summit in Kazan in October. Both Iran and Russia have been allies in supporting the recently deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war. Earlier this month, Assad fled to Moscow after rebel forces, led by the Sunni Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched a rapid offensive and entered Damascus.
