O n January 26, Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif arrived in Moscow for his regional visit and to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

Russian-Iranian relations are developing and the high-level meetings between the two usually pass in an atmosphere of constructive and mutual trust.

The agenda of Moscow-Tehran relations generally has two platforms: a) bilateral cooperation in military-technical, trade-economic, energy, agricultural, transport, industrial, cultural and b) regional problems. In the energy field the construction of new blocks at the Bushehr power plant is currently on the agenda. One of the more important issues is the joint struggle against the coronavirus infection.

Other issues such as growing problems in cyberspace and its influence on international relations and on the state of affairs within individual countries in particular information security is becoming an even-expanding area of bilateral cooperation. An intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of information security was signed on January 26, providing opportunities to coordinate the actions of the two countries. 

The economic sanctions imposed on both Russia and Iran affect their relations with each other and the rest of the world. However, Moscow and Tehran choose to cooperate in trade, economy and investment fields, which allow them to bypass sanctions. One of the most important international and regional issues is perhaps the maintenance of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear issue. The positions on this are identical: both countries are interested in the full compliance with the proposed document, the path of which is the consistent comprehensive implementation of its provisions by all the participating states in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 2231. Moscow and Tehran hope that during the administration of Joe Biden, the United States will return to the full implementation of the prior agreements reached, which in turn will create conditions to comply with all the requirements of the nuclear deal by Iran.

During Donald Trump’s administration and the implementation of the withdrawal of the USA from the JCPOA, Iran took steps to reduce its obligations under the document and then stated that it switched positions and moved forward in metallic uranium enrichment. Many experts consider this as a step towards the creation of combat plutonium. The full restoration of the JCPOA will be a key achievement of international diplomacy in the field of nuclear non-proliferation. Generally, it will increase the level of international security. In addition, this also falls within the interests of the development of Moscow-Tehran relations, as Western sanctions will no longer be an obstacle to bilateral cooperation.

The Artsakh issue has gained a special importance in the Russian-Iranian relations, particularly the current developments around the agreements reached during the meeting of the presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia on January 11, 2021. It opens new perspectives for all countries in the region, including Russia and Iran. In general, Moscow and Tehran are interested in peace, good neighborliness and prosperity in the Caucasus. They are ready to contribute to this project by participating in various projects.

Another important regional issue is the Syrian issue settlement, in which the two countries have been cooperating together in the Astana tripartite format (Russia, Iran and Turkey). The next meeting in the “Astana Format” is scheduled for February 2021 in Sochi. Currently, work is underway to draft a new Syrian constitution. For that purpose, a Constitutional Committee was created, which has an editorial commission.

The situation in the Persian Gulf and the Palestinian issue also play an important role in the Moscow-Tehran political agenda. Almost 20 years ago, Moscow made proposals to develop a security concept in the Persian Gulf. Generally, they are in line with Iranian approaches in tackling the matter. In order to ensure the timeliness of the proposals and following the changes in regional and international developments, Russia regularly updates the initiatives.

In 2019, an updated concept for the collective security in the Persian Gulf was introduced. In October 2020, Russia chairing the UN Security Council held special discussions on the issue. Russia showed the obvious interests of the participating sides not only in the continuation of dialogue but also in the goal of achieving concrete results, strengthening of trust and the establishment of good-neighborly relations. In the fall of 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a proposal to organize an online meeting of permanent members of the UN Security Council, the leaders of which are currently Iran and Germany. 

Iran, in its turn, came up with the Hormuz Peace Initiative. It implies an active dialogue organization between all the coastal countries of the Persian Gulf. Moscow and Tehran are ready to launch similar ideas, the aim of which is to strengthen peace, security, stability and good neighborliness in the Persian Gulf through the support of all countries. 

Lastly, Russia and Iran oppose linking progress in regional security in the Persian Gulf with the resumption of the JCPOA and believe that the latter should be fully resumed without any precondition. As for the Palestinian issue, Moscow and Tehran consider it something that can’t be forgotten. Relating to all these matters stated above Russia and Iran closely coordinate their relations and actions on the international platform.