Russia and Iran sign partnership treaty, despite one major issue

Iran and Russia are signing a partnership treaty, bringing Tehran and Moscow closer in many areas. However, one point of contention is causing friction between the two nations.

Officially named the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Russia and Iran, Kremlin sources cited by news website Politico claims that it covers “trade, investment, transport, logistics, humanitarian sphere, and current issues on the regional and international agenda”.

According to Newsweek, the treaty consists of 47 articles and has been in the works for five years. Other areas that allegedly covers include information and cybersecurity, counterterrorism, nuclear energy, and organized crime,

Among other things, the treaty is expected to bring Tehran and Moscow closer in political and military matters.

Politico writes that the agreement is similar to the treaty signed between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang in June 2024.

Since then, there has been reports of at least 10,000 North Korean soldiers shipped to Russia’s Kursk region to help Moscow to fight off Ukrainian troops.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2024 has virtually isolated Moscow from Western nations and their global allies, forcing the Kremlin to strengthen the few allies it has left.

For example, it’s known that Iran has provided Russia with Shahed drones, using them to target civilian infrastructure and power plants in Ukraine.

However, there’s one issue that still divides the governments of Russia and Iran and could reveal how Tehran feels about Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Newsweek writes that, according to the Middle East Eye, Iran has rejected Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine.

According to Newsweek, Iran not recognizing Crimea as part of Russia is due to a clause in the treaty on territorial integrity, a hot issue both for Moscow and Tehran.

Iran and United Arab Emirates are currently in dispute over three islands in the Persian Gulf. The country, then under the rule of the Shah, allegedly occupied them in the early 70s.

News outlet Iran International wrote that back in December 2023 that the Tehran government protested Russia backing the claim of the United Arab Emirates over the islands.

At the time, a representative of Iran’s Foreign Ministry declared that Tehran wouldn’t show “the slightest hesitation in maintaining its territorial integrity”.

This puts Russian-Iran relations into a difficult position. Newsweek reports that, back in 2022, AP revealed that Iranian troops were directly aiding Russian soldiers in Crimea.

Russia and Iran have gotten closer in the past years, in part of sharing a common antagonism towards the United States and the west. But is it enough to stand together as allies?

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