Russia, Iran to Sign Strategic Pact on Eve of Donald Trump’s Inauguration

Newsweek -Dec24th2024

By Hugh Cameron

What’s New?

Russia and Iran plan to formalize relations with the signing of a new strategic partnership treaty in the days before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The news was broken by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, who told reporters on Monday that he hoped the leaders of the two nations would sign the agreement “at the end of January,” Russian state-owned outlet Sputnik reported.

Newsweek has contacted the foreign affairs ministries of Iran and Russia for comment.

Why It Matters

The new treaty, potentially occurring just days prior to Trump’s inauguration on January 20, signals an attempt by the two nations to combine their respective powers in the face of growing isolation on the world stage.

Russia and Iran are members of what analysts at the Center for New American Security have dubbed the Axis of Upheaval, a group of states, which also features China and North Korea, that have increasingly positioned themselves as opponents of Western powers.

The two nations have been heavily sanctioned and censured by the U.S. and its allies over the past few years, the former as a result of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and the latter because of concerns over alleged, covert attempts to develop nuclear weapons as well as the actions of its military proxies in the Middle East.

What To Know

A treaty with Iran has been in the works for years, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, which in early 2022 claimed that a “major new interstate agreement” was being finalized, without providing specifics.

In late October, days after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the 16th annual BRICS summit in Kazan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the agreement would be ready for the two leaders’ signatures in the near future, and that this will “will formalize the parties’ commitment to close defense cooperation and interaction in the interests of regional and global peace and security.”

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https://www.newsweek.com/russia-iran-new-treaty-donald-trump-inauguration-2005782