During his two-day visit to Russia, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi said that Tehran and Moscow can unite their efforts in resisting the pressure from the US. According to Sputnik, Raisi met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. He stressed that Iran is ready for “strategic” relations with Moscow, which would not depend on short-term factors.
“Amid external extraordinary conditions, when there is opposition to the unilateral actions of the West, including the United States, we can create synergy in our cooperation,” Raisi told Putin, as per Sputnik.
The Iranian President went on to note that the sanctions by the US and other Western nations are futile in hindering Iran’s development. During the meeting, Raisi said that Iran has been resisting the US for more than 40 years now. He added that his country will not stop development and progress because of sanctions or threats, even though Iran is now making efforts to have the sanctions lifted.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on the other hand, said that Moscow expects Raisi’s visit to result in an “inventory of relations”, given the change in leadership in Iran.
Notably, Russia’s support for Iran during the Vienna talks, including Tehran’s tough stance on the need to lift sanctions against the Islamic Republic, has strengthened relations between the two nations. There are also reports that the two countries are planning further military-technical cooperation, including a possible $10 billion contract for the purchase of Russian military equipment.
Stalled nuclear talks
Meanwhile, Ibrahim Raisi’s visit to Russia comes amid a discussion to restore the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, including the US, Russia, Germany, China, France, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
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Back in 2018, former US President Donald Trump had withdrawn from the deal, reimposing sanctions on Iran unilaterally. However, later, Iran stopped implementing elements of the agreement’s provisions.
Negotiations to restore the accord began last year but stopped in June as Iran elected ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi. The talks then resumed in late November but very little progress has been made since.
Iran has repeatedly said that it was ready to return to the terms of the arrangement only if the country was given the “assurances and verification” of US’ sanctions removal. On the other hand, the United States had earlier stated that it was fully prepared to lift sanctions inconsistent with JCPOA commitments, which would allow Iran to receive the economic benefits of the deal.
