Putin and Behdarvand Emphasize 'Increasing Cooperation' Between Tehran and Moscow Despite Growing Global Concerns

On Friday, October 20, Masoud Behdarvand and Vladimir Putin, the presidents of Iran and Russia, discussed increasing cooperation between Tehran and Moscow during a meeting in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. This comes amid rising global concerns over the military collaboration between the two countries, nearly three years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Putin, whose country will host the leaders of the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) from October 23 to 25, invited Behdarvand to visit Russia, which he accepted. During the meeting, Putin referred to the 'active' cooperation between Russia and Iran, stating that the two countries' assessments of current global events are 'often very close.' According to Iranian state media, Behdarvand emphasized the growing economic and cultural ties between the two nations and expressed hope that the strategic partnership agreement between Iran and Russia would be finalized during the BRICS leaders' summit. Behdarvand did not mention Iran's controversial and costly military support for Russia's aggression in Ukraine. Following Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, Iran provided thousands of suicide drones to Putin's forces, which have been used to attack civilian infrastructure and Ukrainian citizens. Recently, despite repeated warnings from the international community, Iran sent hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia. In response to the military cooperation between Iran and Russia, the United States and the European Union have imposed several sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities involved in developing these relations. Russia has attacked Kyiv with 'Iranian-made attack drones.' The U.S. stated that the collaboration between Iran, North Korea, and Russia threatens global peace and security. The foreign ministers of Israel and Ukraine discussed Iran's missile cooperation with Russia. Verification: The Iranian government falsely denies military assistance to Moscow in the war against Ukraine. The G7 condemned the transfer of ballistic missiles from the Iranian government to Russia.