Russia and Iran's Intent to Increase Military and Economic Cooperation

According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Iranian and Russian officials say that after sanctions, the two countries intend to increase military and economic cooperation. Russian media reported that during a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries, the topic of sending S-300 defense system missiles to Iran and concluding new contracts for the construction of nuclear power plants in Iran was discussed. Iran and Russia signed a contract in 2007 under which Moscow was to deliver several S-300 anti-aircraft systems to Tehran in exchange for approximately $800 million. This anti-aircraft system is considered one of the most powerful in the world, capable of targeting aircraft and missiles. However, Moscow refrained from executing this contract due to UN sanctions. In 2010, under Western pressure, Russia suspended the delivery of S-300 to Iran, but the Russian president lifted this ban in April of this year; an action that faced strong reactions from Israel and the United States. Vladimir Kozhin, military advisor to the Russian president, announced on July 30 that Moscow is modernizing the S-300 air defense system for Iran and that the system to be delivered to Iran is 'partially' updated and 'other components' are also being updated. Reports from Russian media indicate that Lavrov and Zarif also discussed joint initiatives to resolve the Syrian crisis and rejected calls for the resignation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The United States, the European Union, Gulf states, and internal opponents of Bashar al-Assad have stated that they will not accept any peace plan for Syria without the removal of the president. 'Soleimani's trip to Moscow is a rumor' Russian news agency Interfax reported from a joint press conference of the foreign ministers of Iran and Russia, quoting Sergey Lavrov, who called Qassem Soleimani's trip to Moscow a 'rumor.' He said, 'These are rumors that have been spread and should not be paid attention to in this particular case regarding the accusations of our American colleagues. Rumors are always rumors.' Mohammad Javad Zarif also commented on this matter, stating, 'Some of the noise and propaganda (in the United States) have more domestic consumption.' He also called reports about the Quds Force commander's trip to Russia a 'rumor.' Reuters reported on August 7, citing two American security and intelligence sources, that Qassem Soleimani had traveled to Russia. Soleimani has been on the UN Security Council's sanctions list since 2007, and part of these sanctions includes a travel ban to other countries. According to this report, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps traveled on July 25 and left the country after meeting with President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Defense Minister. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported on Zarif's trip to Moscow, citing a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry that in 2014, trade volume between the two countries increased by 5% to $1.7 billion. 'The implementation of large projects in the field of fuel and energy, including nuclear energy,' 'cooperation in agriculture, automotive, aerospace, and science and education' are among the areas that both sides hope to pursue in the coming years, aiming to increase the volume of economic relations between the two countries to $10 billion per year.