Русский
The Russian President Vladimir Putin has held telephone discussions with the Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, who thanked Russia side for providing prompt emergency assistance following the recent serious explosion at Iran’s Shahid Rajaee Port.
The leaders had a thorough discussion of issues pertaining to further development of Russian-Iranian cooperation based on the bilateral Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, signed during the Iranian President’s official visit to Russia on January 17. Special attention was paid to the expansion of mutually beneficial ties in trade and the economy, including via the implementation of major joint projects in transport and energy.
The presidents exchanged views on pressing international and regional issues, including the progress of Iran-US talks on the Iranian nuclear programme, proceeding under the mediation of Oman. The Russian side reiterated its willingness to facilitate this dialogue with a view to reaching a fair agreement based on the principles of international law.
The presidents agreed to step up joint efforts aimed at comprehensively strengthening practical cooperation and foreign policy coordination between Russia and Iran. This will have included issues relating to Iran’s eastern border with Pakistan, where Balochistan rebels have been creating security concerns.
While heavily sanctioned by the West, Iran’s trade ties have been enhanced through several free trade agreements. Notably, in late 2023, Iran signed an agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), including Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, eliminating tariffs on 90% of traded goods. Iran is also a full member of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a major political, economic, and security bloc that includes China and Russia, offering preferential trade opportunities. China remains Iran’s largest trading partner, boosting the country’s trade prospects in Asia. Iran has entered into several bilateral free trade agreements with neighbouring countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Turkey, focusing on energy, agriculture, and manufacturing products, which helps mitigate the impact of international sanctions.
With a population of approximately 91.57 million, Iran has a GDP (PPP) of US$1.698 trillion and a GDP per capita (PPP) of US$19,607. The country is expected to see a GDP growth rate of 3.7% in 2025.
Iran’s bilateral trade relationship with Russia has shown steady growth. Trade turnover between the two countries increased from US$4 billion in 2021 to US$4.9 billion in 2022, and remained stable at US$4 billion in 2023, increasing to US$4.5 billion in 2024. The two countries have a US$10 billion bilateral trade target to reach by 2030, with the Iran-EAEU FTA and Iran’s involvement in BRICS and participation in key infrastructure projects such as the INSTC likely to help expedite this.
For more on Russia-Iran developments, please visit our Russia-Iran archives here.
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