Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart signed a new agreement between their two countries despite a “level of mistrust” between them, according to the UK.
The Russian president agreed to a 20-year “comprehensive strategic partnership” deal with Iran’s Massoud Pezeskian on January 17.
The two pariah nations were already allies but they’ve grown closer since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine back in 2022, according to the UK’s ministry of defence (MoD).
The war – which is now approaching the three-year mark – has seen Moscow become increasingly reliant on Iran’s military support.
The partnership has “almost certainly been driven by mutual security and economic interests”, the UK officials said, although they added: “A level of mistrust remains and tensions in the relationship will highly likely present obstacles to the expansion of their cooperation.”
The MoD said the two countries have agreed to work across several sectors in what is likely a bid to strengthen bilateral ties.
That includes defence and security, economy, trade, transportation, energy, technology, information and cyberspace security.
However, this agreement notably does not have a “mutual defence clause” which was included in Russia’s agreements with North Korea and Belarus.
Putin signed a deal with Kim Jong Un in June 2024 which included a pledge to offer mutual aid if either country is attacked.
Approximately 11,000 North Korean troops have been fighting Ukrainian troops in the Russian region of Kursk since late last year, even since Kyiv’s surprise incursion into the country.
According to the MoD, there have North Korean 4,000 casualties so far, a quarter of whom were killed in action.
There have also been “interoperability difficulties” between the two countries due to a language barrier.
Even so, Putin struck a similar deal with long-time ally Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko in December.
It allows Russia to deploy new weapon systems in the neighbouring country, including medium-range ballistic missiles, giving Putin another strategic benefit over Ukraine.
The MoD said the agreement most likely offers a legal framework for more cooperation between the two countries, formalising existing and future collaboration efforts.
But it added: “It is unlikely to represent any significant uplift to the partnership or materially expand the scope of their current cooperation.”