Putin Visits Iran to Strengthen Military and Energy Cooperation... Showcases Anti-American Alliance

First Diplomatic Move Outside Former Soviet Sphere Since Ukraine Crisis
Biden Visits Iran Right After Saudi Arabia Tour... Showing Solidarity

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iran, a region outside the former Soviet sphere, for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine, and held a trilateral summit with the leaders of Iran and Turkey. This visit, which took place immediately after U.S. President Joe Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia, is interpreted as a demonstration of anti-American solidarity with Iran and Turkey and a declaration of intent to counter the U.S. Middle East policy.

According to Russia's TASS news agency on the 19th (local time), President Putin arrived at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport in the afternoon and held talks with Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, followed by a visit to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. This is the first time since the Ukraine invasion that President Putin has directly visited a region outside the former Soviet sphere.

In particular, this visit attracted more international attention as it took place immediately after President Biden's visit to Saudi Arabia. During the talks, President Putin and Supreme Leader Khamenei emphasized anti-American solidarity. Leader Khamenei stated, "Iran and Russia must always be wary of Western deceit," and emphasized, "The two countries pursue mutual interests through long-term cooperation."

President Putin said, "Iran is an important partner of Russia," and stressed, "We plan to elevate the cooperation between the two countries to the level of a strategic partnership, and a treaty between the countries is also being prepared." The Russian and Iranian leaders reportedly exchanged views on bilateral issues such as energy, trade, and transportation, as well as on the Ukraine war, the resumption of Black Sea grain exports, and the food crisis.

The two countries also agreed to further strengthen energy cooperation. On the same day, Russia's state-owned Gazprom and Iran's National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) signed an agreement related to natural gas development and investment worth $40 billion (approximately 52.3 trillion KRW). According to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, this agreement covers gas field development, liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline installation, and crude oil product production.

Along with the two leaders, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Tayyip Erdo?an, who also visited Tehran that day, joined the talks, and a trilateral summit was held. The three leaders reportedly discussed common issues such as the Syrian civil war and the transportation of Ukrainian grain. President Putin stated during the talks, "Not all issues have been resolved, but there has been progress on the issue of grain exports through the Black Sea thanks to Turkey's mediation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.