MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin will host his Iranian counterpart this week for the signing of a broad partnership pact between Moscow and Tehran, the Kremlin said Monday.
The agreement on a “comprehensive strategic partnership” between the countries will be signed on Friday during Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to Moscow, the Kremlin said.
It added that the leaders will discuss plans to expand trade and cooperation in transportation, logistics and humanitarian affairs, along with “acute issues on the regional and international agenda.”
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Ukraine and the West have accused Tehran of supplying hundreds of exploding drones to Moscow for battlefield use in Ukraine and helping launch their production in Russia. The Iranian drone deliveries, which Moscow and Tehran have denied, have enabled a barrage of long-range drone attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure.
Iran, in turn, wants advanced Russian weapons such as long-range air defense systems and fighter jets to help fend off possible attacks from Israel.
Tehran has long hoped to secure advanced Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets from Russia to upgrade its aging fleet, which has been hampered by international sanctions, but received only a few Yak-130 trainer jets in 2023.
Pezeshkian will visit Moscow three days before the inauguration of newly-elected US President Donald Trump, who has pledged to reach a peace deal on Ukraine.
Iran is facing increasing pressure in the Middle East. The so-called 'Axis of Resistance' has been shattered as Palestinian militant group Hamas is targeted by a devastating Israeli offensive. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has also been seriously injured in a series of attacks and the Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon. The Syrian government led by Bashar Assad, long financed by tens of billions of dollars from Iran, has collapsed.
Meanwhile, Iran's economy remains in tatters following the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Iran has also seen its Russian-supplied S-300 anti-aircraft batteries targeted by Israel.
Tehran probably hopes to secure financial and defense promises from Moscow. However, there is growing dissatisfaction with Russia within the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guards, a paramilitary force answerable only to the 85-year-old Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Last week, an audio recording leaked to the Iranian media in which a Guard general blamed Russia for much of Iran's misery in Syria.
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Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.
