Announcement of Pezeshkian's Trip to Russia Amid Tensions Over Military Cooperation Between Tehran and Moscow

Kazem Jalali, the Iranian ambassador to Moscow, announced that Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, will attend the upcoming summit of BRICS member countries. The presidency of BRICS is currently held by Russia, and the announcement of Pezeshkian's participation in this meeting on Sunday, September 16, comes amid tensions between Tehran and the West over military cooperation between the Islamic Republic and Russia. The BRICS summit is scheduled to take place from October 23 to 25 in Kazan, Russia. The BRICS group includes several developing countries and emerging economies, dominated by Russia and China. This group was initially formed two decades ago by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, with its first summit held in 2009 in Russia. The common demand of BRICS members, who produce a quarter of the world's wealth and constitute 42% of the world's population, is for a more comprehensive global political and economic balance, especially against the United States and the European Union. BRICS had previously agreed to Iran's request for membership, which officially began at the start of this year. Earlier, the Iranian ambassador in Moscow told Russian media that Pezeshkian is also expected to meet with Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, during this trip. A few days ago, during a meeting with the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran in Moscow, Putin referred to his upcoming meeting with Pezeshkian and mentioned that there is a possibility that a comprehensive agreement between the two countries will be signed on the sidelines of this meeting. Russia and Iran signed a 20-year strategic agreement in 2001, which, according to the state news agency TASS, was automatically extended for five years in 2020. Both parties also agreed in 2020 to work on a new treaty to replace the old document. In September 2022, during a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Ebrahim Raisi, both sides announced the signing of a significant new agreement between Moscow and Tehran. In recent years, both sides have not been transparent about the details of this agreement. Pezeshkian's trip to Russia comes at a time when the United States and three European countries have stated that they will impose sanctions, including against Iran Air, in response to Iran's delivery of ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine. In recent years, especially after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia and Iran have expanded their military relations, with the Islamic Republic providing numerous suicide drones to Russia, which has led to increased sanctions against Tehran. Additionally, this trip occurs amid recent statements from Iranian officials expressing their opposition to Russia's cooperation with Azerbaijan and Turkey regarding the opening of the Zangezur corridor. The Islamic Republic is concerned that the establishment of this communication route will eliminate the land border between Iran and Armenia. This is not the first time Russia has sided against Iran in international equations. Previously, coinciding with Iran's membership in BRICS, Tehran-Moscow relations were affected by Russia's support for the United Arab Emirates' position regarding the three islands in the Persian Gulf. Moscow has supported Abu Dhabi in this matter and has called for the referral of the islands' case to the International Court of Justice. Nevertheless, Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, emphasizes Tehran's closeness to Russia and China and countries aligned with Beijing and Moscow to counter Western sanctions, especially from the United States. Ebrahim Raisi made significant efforts to implement this policy during his presidency, and after his death and the beginning of Pezeshkian's presidency, Putin stated that he is confident that relations between Moscow and Tehran will continue to expand during this new era.