As Mideast Tensions Soar, Iran Looks to ‘Strategic Partner’ Russia

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (C), former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L), and Hassan Khomeini (R), grandson of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in Tehran, Iran, on July 6, 2024. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s newly inaugurated president, has called for expanded relations between his country and Russia following last week’s killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

“Russia is among the countries that have stood by the Iranian nation during difficult times,” Pezeshkian said in remarks carried by local media outlets.

Tehran is determined to deepen its ties with Russia, he said, describing the latter as a “strategic partner.”

According to Russia’s TASS news agency, the Iranian leader also called for the speedy implementation of agreements previously signed between the two countries.

Pezeshkian made the remarks at a meeting with Sergei Shoigu, head of the Russian Security Council, who visited Tehran on Aug. 5.

Shoigu was appointed head of the council in May after serving as Russian defense minister for 12 years.

In Tehran, he discussed the precarious regional situation, following Haniyeh’s assassination, with Pezeshkian and top Iranian security officials.

Speaking on Aug. 6, Shoigu said he had discussed a “whole range of issues” with his Iranian interlocutors.

“The recent tragic events that took place in Tehran were touched upon,” he told reporters, according to Russian state media outlets. “It was impossible to bypass this topic.”

Asked about the Shoigu–Pezeshkian meeting, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller appeared to downplay its importance.

“We don’t have any expectations that Russia’s going to play a productive role in de-escalating tensions,” Miller said at an Aug. 5 press briefing.

“We haven’t seen them play a productive role in this conflict since October 7th,” he said, referring to Hamas’s deadly cross-border attack on Israel last fall.

“[Russia has] been absent [from the Middle East conflict]. ... We’ve seen them do nothing to urge any party to take de-escalatory steps.”

‘Dangerous Consequences’

On July 31, Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, while there to attend the inauguration of Pezeshkian as Iran’s new president.

Pezeshkian was elected president early last month after his predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, was killed in a helicopter crash in May.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Patriot Park outside Moscow on Aug. 15, 2022. Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

It remains unclear exactly how Haniyeh was killed. Israel has refrained from claiming responsibility.

Moscow condemned the killing of Haniyeh.

“The organizers of this political assassination were aware of the dangerous consequences for the entire region that this attack is fraught with,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrey Nastasyin said at the time.

Nastasyin urged “all parties involved” to “refrain from steps that might lead to a dramatic degradation of the security situation ... and provoke a large-scale armed confrontation.”

Despite calls for restraint, Tehran and its allies—including Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah—have vowed to retaliate against Israel for the killing of Haniyeh.

A Palestinian carries a picture of late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Iran, during a march to condemn his killing, at Burj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut on July 31, 2024. Mohamed Azakir/Reuters

During talks with Shoigu, Pezeshkian said that Israel’s “criminal actions” were “clear examples of the violation of all international laws and regulations.”

Amid expectations of an imminent military response by Iran, Israel has warned that it will strike back if attacked.

“We are prepared for any scenario—both offensively and defensively,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Aug. 4.

Russia–Iran ‘Strategic Partnership’

In recent years, Russia and Iran—both targets of Western sanctions—have drawn increasingly close, especially in terms of security.

The two countries cooperate closely in Syria, where they both maintain forces to support Damascus against what they regard as “foreign-backed terrorist groups.”

Western capitals, including Washington, have accused Iran of providing Russia with missiles and drones for its ongoing invasion of eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies the allegation.

Last year, Iran became a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a bloc of Eurasian states established in 2001 by Moscow and Beijing.

In recent months, Moscow and Tehran have held talks aimed at forging a “strategic partnership” between the two countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the nation in Tel Aviv, Israel, on July 31, 2024. Government Press Office via Reuters/Screenshot via NTD

In February, Alexey Dedov, Russia’s ambassador to Iran, said a draft agreement to this effect was in its final stages and would soon be signed by both sides.

The terms of the agreement remain unknown.

But according to Dedov, the deal—if signed—would lay down the parameters of Russian–Iranian interaction “for the coming years, perhaps decades.”

“We are talking about a new interstate agreement, a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries,” he told Russia’s Sputnik news agency.

In previous remarks, Kazem Jalali, Tehran’s envoy to Moscow, said the strategic partnership deal would likely be signed sometime later this year.

Following Raisi’s death in May, Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, said the continued development of bilateral ties wouldn’t be affected.

“We reaffirm our commitment to close, in-depth cooperation [with Iran] on both bilateral and international issues,” Ryabkov said at the time.

“All agreements reached earlier [between Moscow and Tehran] will be implemented.”

Ryabkov did not explicitly mention the strategic partnership deal but said the two countries were “gradually” bolstering ties, especially in terms of “strengthening security.”

Reuters contributed to this report.