View source for Iran–Russia relations

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox bilateral relations
| title       = Russo-Iranian relations
| party1      = Iran
| party2      = Russia
| map         = Iran Russia Locator.png
| filetype    = 
| size        = 
| mission1    = [[Embassy of Iran, Moscow]]
| mission2    = [[Embassy of Russia, Tehran]]
| envoytitle1 = [[List of ambassadors of Iran to Russia|Iranian Ambassador to Russia]]
| envoy1      = [[Kazem Jalali]]
| envoytitle2 = [[List of ambassadors of Russia to Iran|Russian Ambassador to Iran]]
| envoy2      = [[Alexey Dedov]]
}}
[[File:Meeting between Putin and Khamenei 1.jpeg|thumb| Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] with Iranian Supreme Leader [[Ali Khamenei]] during a visit to [[Tehran]], 19 July 2022.]]

Relations between the [[Grand Duchy of Moscow]] and the [[Safavid Iran|Persian Empire]] ([[Iran]]) officially commenced in 1521, with the [[Rurikids]] and [[Safavid dynasty|Safavids]] in power respectively.<ref name="academia.edu">{{cite web|url=https://www.academia.edu/9137125|title=Relations between Tehran and Moscow, 1979–2014|website=Academia.edu|access-date=22 December 2014}}</ref> Past and present contact between [[Russia]] and Iran have long been complicatedly multi-faceted; often wavering between collaboration and rivalry. The two nations have a long history of geographic, economic, and socio-political interaction. Mutual relations have often been turbulent, and dormant at other times.

Until 1720, on the surface, relations between Iran and Russia were largely friendly and the two operated on a level of equity.<ref name="Matthee333">{{cite journal |last1=Matthee |first1=Rudi |title=Rudeness and Revilement: Russian–Iranian Relations in the Mid-Seventeenth Century |journal=Iranian Studies |date=2013 |volume=46 |issue=3 |page=333 |doi=10.1080/00210862.2012.758500|s2cid=145596080 }}</ref> After 1720, with [[Peter the Great]]'s [[Russo-Persian War (1722–1723)|attack on Iran]] and the establishment of the [[Russian Empire]], the first of a long series of campaigns was initiated against Iran and the [[Caucasus]].<ref name="Matthee333"/> The Russian Empire had an oppressive role in Iran during the 19th and early 20th centuries which harmed Iran's development, and during most of the ensuing [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] period, the shadow of the "big northern neighbour" continued to impend.<ref name="VolkovJournal">{{cite journal |last1=Volkov |first1=Denis V. |title=Bringing democracy into Iran: a Russian project for the separation of Azerbaijan |journal=Middle Eastern Studies |date=2022 |volume=58 |issue=6 |page=1 |doi=10.1080/00263206.2022.2029423|s2cid=246923610 }}</ref> Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the two nations have generally enjoyed very close cordial relations. Iran and Russia are strategic allies<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Aras |first1=Bulent |last2=Ozbay |first2=Fatih |title=The limits of the Russian–Iranian strategic alliance: its history and geopolitics, and the nuclear issue |journal=Korean Journal of Defense Analysis |date=March 2008 |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=47–62 |doi=10.1080/10163270802006321 |hdl=11729/299 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/parameters/articles/01winter/jalali.htm|title=The Strategic Partnership of Russia and Iran|website=Strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil|access-date=24 April 2014|archive-date=24 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424192633/http://strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/parameters/articles/01winter/jalali.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/631/russia-and-iran-strategic-partners-or-competing-regional-hegemons-a-critical-analysis-of-russian-iranian-relations-in-the-post-soviet-space|title=Russia and Iran: Strategic Partners or Competing Regional Hegemons? A Critical Analysis of Russian-Iranian Relations in the Post-Soviet Space|website=Studentpulse.com|access-date=24 April 2014}}</ref> and form an axis in the Caucasus alongside [[Armenia]]. Iran and Russia are also military allies in the conflicts in [[Syria]] and [[Iraq]] and partners in [[Afghanistan]] and post-[[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Central Asia]]. The [[Russian Federation]] is also the chief supplier of arms and weaponry to Iran. Due to international economic [[International sanctions against Iran|sanctions on Iran]], Russia has become a key trading partner, especially in regard to the former's excess oil reserves. Currently Russia and Iran share a close economic and military alliance, and both countries are subject to heavy sanctions by most [[Western world|Western nations]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=MacFarquhar |first1=Neil|title=Putin Lifts Ban on Russian Missile Sales to Iran|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/14/world/europe/putin-lifts-ban-on-russian-missile-sales-to-iran.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=13 April 2015 |access-date=April 14, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Borshchevskaya |first=Anna |title=Putin's War in Syria |publisher=I. B. Tauris |year=2022 |isbn=978-0-7556-3463-7 |location=50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK |pages=53–58}}</ref>

Militarily, Iran is the only country in Western Asia that has been invited (in 2007) to join the [[Collective Security Treaty Organization]], the Russia-based international treaty organization that parallels [[NATO]].<ref name="lin15">{{cite news |last1=Lin |first1=Christina |title=Iran UN Sanctions Relief – The Road Towards S-400 and Deterring US/Israeli Airstrikes? |url=https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/188051/321_Lin.pdf |work=321 |publisher=ISPSW Strategy Series |date=February 2015}}</ref> As soon as he became president, [[Vladimir Putin]] pursued close friendship with [[Iran]] and deepened Russian military cooperation with Iran and [[Syria]]. In 2015, Putin ordered a [[Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war|military intervention]] in Syria, supporting the [[Assad dynasty|Assad]] regime and its Iranian allies with an [[Aerial bombing of cities|aerial bombing campaign]] against the [[Syrian opposition]]. While much of the Iranian military uses Iranian-manufactured weapons and domestic hardware, Iran still purchases some weapons systems from Russia. In turn, Iran assisted Russia with its drone technology and other military technology during its [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Reuters |date=2022-07-11 |title=White House: Iran preparing to supply Russia with drones |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/white-house-iran-preparing-supply-russia-with-drones-2022-07-11/ |access-date=2022-07-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Borshchevskaya |first=Anna |title=Putin's War in Syria |publisher=I. B. Tauris |year=2022 |isbn=978-0-7556-3463-7 |location=50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK |pages=2, 53, 55, 132, 149, 156}}</ref> American government officials and some security scholars<ref name=evorus>Julian G. Waller, Elizabeth Wishnick, Margaret Sparling,
and Michael Connell. (January 2025). The Evolving Russia-Iran Relationship : Political, Military, and Economic Dimensions of an Improving Partnership. [https://www.cna.org/reports/2025/01/The-Evolving-Russia-Iran-Relationship.pdf Center for Naval Analyses website] 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2025.</ref> believe the two countries have formed a "full-fledged defense partnership".<ref>Shine, Sima, et al. Deepening Cooperation between Iran and Russia. Institute for National Security Studies, 2023. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep47005. Retrieved 14 Apr. 2025.</ref>

Iran has its embassy in [[Moscow]] and [[consulates]] in the cities of [[Astrakhan]] and [[Kazan]]. Russia has its embassy in [[Tehran]], and consulates in [[Rasht]] and [[Isfahan]].

==History==
[[File:Shah soleiman safavi.jpg|thumb|left|Painting of [[Suleiman I of Persia|Shah Suleiman I]] and his courtiers by [[Aliquli Jabbadar]], Isfahan, 1670. The painting was acquired by [[Tsar Nicholas II]], and is now kept at the [[Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences|Institute of Oriental Manuscripts]] in [[Saint Petersburg]].]]

===Pre-Safavid era===
[[File:Derbent winter.jpg|thumb|[[Derbent]] is renowned for the [[Sassanid|Sassanid Iranian]] fortress, a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]].]]

Contacts between [[Russians]] and [[History of Iran|Persians]] have a long history, extending back more than a millennium.<ref name="iranicaonline.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/russia-i-relations|title=RUSSIA i. Russo-Iranian Relations up to the Bolshevik Revolution|website=Iranicaonline.org|access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> There were known commercial exchanges as early as the 8th century AD between Persia and Russia.<ref name="academia.edu"/> They were interrupted by the Mongol invasions in the 13th and 14th centuries, but started up again in the 15th century with the rise of the state of [[Grand Duchy of Moscow|Muscovy]]. In the 9th–11th century AD, there were repetitive raiding parties undertaken by [[Rus' (people)|the Rus']] between 864 and 1041 on the [[Caspian Sea]] shores of what is today [[Iran]], [[Azerbaijan]], and [[Dagestan]] as part of the [[Caspian expeditions of the Rus']].<ref name="Logan201">Logan (1992), p. 201</ref> Initially, the Rus' appeared in [[Serkland]] during the 9th century, traveling as merchants along the [[Volga trade route]] while selling furs, honey, and slaves. The first small-scale raids took place in the late 9th and early 10th century, and the Rus' undertook the first large-scale expedition in 913; having arrived on 500 ships, they pillaged the [[Gorgan]] region (within present day Iran), as well the areas of [[Gilan Province|Gilan]] and [[Mazandaran Province|Mazandaran]], taking slaves and goods.

===Safavid Empire–Russian Empire===
It was not until the 16th century that formal diplomatic contacts were established between Persia and Russia, with the latter acting as an intermediary in the trade between [[Kingdom of England|England]] and Persia. Transporting goods across Russian territory meant that the English could avoid the zones under Ottoman and [[Portuguese empire|Portuguese]] control.<ref name="academia.edu"/> The [[Muscovy Company]] (also known as the Russian Company) was founded in 1553 to expand the trade routes across the Caspian sea.<ref name="academia.edu"/> Moscow's role as an intermediary in exchanges between Britain and Persia led Russian traders to set up business in urban centres across Persia, as far south as [[Kashan]].<ref name="academia.edu"/> The Russian victories over the Kazan Khanate in 1552 and the Astrakhan Khanate in 1556 by Tsar [[Ivan IV]] (r. 1533–84) revived trade between Iran and Russia via the [[Volga]]-[[Caspian Sea|Caspian]] route and marked the first Russian penetration of the [[Caucasus]] and the Caspian area.<ref name="iranicaonline.org"/> Though these commercial exchanges in the latter half of the 16th century were limited in scope, they nonetheless indicate that the fledgling entente between the two countries emerged as a result of opposition to the neighboring [[Ottoman Empire]].

[[Image:Stenka Razin by Vasily Surikov 1906.jpg|thumb|''[[Stenka Razin|Stepan Razin]] Sailing in the [[Caspian Sea]]'' by [[Vasily Surikov]], 1906]] 
Diplomatic relations between Russia and Iran date back to 1521, when the [[Safavid dynasty|Safavid]] Shah [[Ismail I]] sent an emissary to visit the Czar [[Vasili III]]. As the first diplomatic contacts between the two countries was being established, Shah Ismail was also working hard with the aim of joining forces against their mutual enemy, neighboring [[Ottoman Turkey]].<ref name="academia.edu"/> On several occasions, Iran offered Russia a deal exchanging a part of its territory (for example [[Derbent]] and [[Baku]] in 1586) for its support in its wars against their Ottoman archrivals.<ref name="academia.edu"/> In 1552–53, Safavid Iran and the Muscovy state in Russia exchanged ambassadors for the first time, and, starting in 1586, they established a regular diplomatic relationship. In 1650, extensive contact between the two people, culminated in the [[Russo-Persian War (1651–53)]], after which Russia had to cede its footholds in the [[North Caucasus]] to the Safavids. In the 1660s the famous Russian Cossack ''[[ataman]]'' [[Stenka Razin]] raided, and occasionally wintered at, Persia's north coast, creating diplomatic problems for the Russian Czar in his dealings with the Persian Shah.<ref>{{cite book|first=Shane |last=O'Rourke |title=Warriors and Peasants|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2000}}</ref> The [[Volga mat' rodnaya|Russian song]] telling the tragic semi-legendary story of Razin's relationship with a Persian princess remains popular to this day.

Peace reigned for many decades between the two peoples after these conflicts, in which trade and migration of peoples flourished. The decline of the Safavid and Ottoman state saw the rise of Imperial Russia on the other hand. After the fall of Shah [[Sultan Husayn]] brought the Safavid dynasty to an end in 1722, the greatest threats facing Persia were Russian and Ottoman ambitions for territorial expansion in the Caspian region—north-western Persia specifically. During the Safavid period, Russian and Persian power was relatively evenly balanced.<ref name="academia.edu"/> 
Overall, the common anti-Ottoman struggle served as the main common political interest for Iran and Russia throughout the period of Safavid rule, with several attempts to conclude an anti-Ottoman military treaty.<ref name="iranicaonline.org"/> Following Shah Husayn's fall, the relationship lost its symmetry, but it was largely restored under [[Nader Shah]].<ref name="academia.edu"/>

In his later years of rule, [[Peter the Great]] found himself in a strong enough position to increase Russian influence more southwards in the Caucasus, the [[Caspian Sea]] and the [[Black Sea]], challenging both the Safavids and the Ottomans. He made the city of [[Astrakhan]] his base for his hostilities against Persia, created a shipyard, and attacked the weakened Safavids in the [[Russo-Persian War (1722–1723)]], capturing many of its territories in the Caucasus and northern mainland Iran for several years. After several years of political chaos in Persia following the fall of the Safavids, a new and powerful Persian empire was born under the highly successful military leader [[Nader Shah]]. Fearing a costly war which would most likely be lost against Nader and also being flanked by the Turks in the west, the Russians were forced to give back all territories and retreat from the entire Caucasus and northern mainland Iran as according to the [[Treaty of Resht]] (1732) and [[Treaty of Ganja]] (1735) during the reign of [[Anna of Russia]]. The terms of the treaty also included the first instance of close Russo-Iranian collaboration against a common enemy, in this case the Ottoman Turks.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mikaberidze|first=Alexander|title=Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia|year=2011|location=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1598843361|page=329|editor=Mikaberidze, Alexander|chapter=Treaty of Ganja (1735)}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Tucker|first=Ernest|title=Nāder Shah|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/nader-shah|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Iranica Online|access-date=5 January 2014|year=2006}}</ref> Relations sooned soured, however, after Nader Shah accused the Russians of conspiring against him. The [[Nader's Dagestan campaign|invasion of Dagestan in 1741]] was partially directed against Russia; thus the [[Terek (river)|Terek River]] was left on a high state of alert until Nader Shah's death.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Michael |last=Axworthy |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1129683122 |title=The sword of Persia : Nader Shah, from tribal warrior to conquering tyrant |date=24 March 2010 |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=978-0-85773-347-4 |oclc=1129683122}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Volkov |first=Sergey |title=Concise History of Imperial Russia}}</ref>

[[Karim Khan Zand]] promised the Russians certain territories in the northern frontier if they helped him against enemies like the Ottomans.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Fisher |first1=William Bayne |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H20Xt157iYUC&q=russia+zand |title=The Cambridge History of Iran |last2=Avery |first2=P. |last3=Gershevitch |first3=Ilya |last4=Yarshater |first4=Ehsan |last5=Hambly |first5=G. R. G. |last6=Melville |first6=C. |last7=Boyle |first7=John Andrew |last8=Frye |first8=Richard Nelson |last9=Jackson |first9=Peter |date=1968 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-20095-0 |language=en}}</ref>

===Qajar Persia–Russian Empire===
Irano-Russian relations particularly picked up again following the death of Nader Shah and the dissolution of his [[Afsharid dynasty]] which gave eventually way to the [[Qajar dynasty|Qajarid]] dynasty in the mid-18th century. The first Qajar Persian Ambassador to Russia was [[Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ilchi]]. After the rule of [[Agha Mohammad Khan]], who stabilized the nation and re-established Iranian suzerainty in the Caucasus,{{sfn|Kazemzadeh|1991|pages=328–330}} the Qajarid government was quickly absorbed with managing domestic turmoil, while rival colonial powers rapidly sought a stable foothold in the region. While the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]], [[British Empire|British]], and [[Dutch Empire|Dutch]] competed for the south and southeast of Persia in the [[Persian Gulf]], the [[Russian Empire]] largely was left unchallenged in the north as it plunged southward to establish dominance in Persia's northern territories. Plagued with internal politics, the Qajarid government found itself incapable of rising to the challenge of facing its northern threat from Russia.

[[File:Взятии штурмом крепости Гянджи.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Battle of Ganja (1804)]] during the [[Russo-Persian War (1804–1813)]].]]

A weakened and bankrupted royal court, under [[Fath Ali Shah]], was forced to sign the notoriously unfavourable [[Treaty of Gulistan]] (1813) following the outcome of the [[Russo-Persian War (1804–1813)]], irrevocably ceding what is modern-day [[Dagestan]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], and large parts of the [[Republic of Azerbaijan]]. The [[Treaty of Turkmenchay]] (1828) was the outcome of the [[Russo-Persian War (1826–1828)]], which resulted in the loss of modern-day [[Armenia]] and the remainder of the [[Azerbaijan]] Republic, and granted Russia several highly beneficial capitulatory rights, after efforts and initial success by [[Abbas Mirza]] failed to ultimately secure Persia's northern front.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cronin|first1=Stephanie|title=The Making of Modern Iran: State and Society under Riza Shah, 1921–1941|date=2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1136026942|page=90}}</ref> By these two treaties, Iran lost swaths of its integral territories that had made part of the concept of Iran for centuries.{{sfn|Fisher|Avery|Hambly|Melville|1991|p=329}} The area to the north of the [[Aras River]], which included the territories of the contemporary nations of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and the [[North Caucasus|North Caucasian]] Republic of Dagestan, were Iranian territory until they were occupied by Russia in the course of the 19th century.<ref name="Swietochowski Borderland">{{cite book |last=Swietochowski|first=Tadeusz |author-link= Tadeusz Swietochowski |year=1995|title=Russia and Azerbaijan: A Borderland in Transition|pages= 69, 133 |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FfRYRwAACAAJ&q=Russia+and+Iran+in+the+great+game:+travelogues+and+orientalism|isbn=978-0-231-07068-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=L. Batalden|first=Sandra |year=1997|title=The newly independent states of Eurasia: handbook of former Soviet republics|page= 98|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=WFjPAxhBEaEC&q=The+newly+independent+states+of+Eurasia:+handbook+of+former+Soviet+republics|isbn=978-0-89774-940-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=E. Ebel, Robert|first=Menon, Rajan |year=2000|title=Energy and conflict in Central Asia and the Caucasus|page= 181 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-sCpf26vBZ0C&q=Energy+and+conflict+in+Central+Asia+and+the+Caucasus|isbn=978-0-7425-0063-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Andreeva|first=Elena |year=2010|title=Russia and Iran in the great game: travelogues and orientalism|page= 6 |edition= reprint |publisher=Taylor & Francis | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FfRYRwAACAAJ&q=%3DRussia+and+Iran+in+the+great+game:+travelogues+and+orientalism|isbn=978-0-415-78153-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Çiçek, Kemal|first=Kuran, Ercüment |year=2000|title=The Great Ottoman-Turkish Civilisation|publisher=University of Michigan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c5VpAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Great+Ottoman-Turkish+Civilisation|isbn=978-975-6782-18-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Ernest Meyer, Karl|first=Blair Brysac, Shareen|year=2006|title=Tournament of Shadows: The Great Game and the Race for Empire in Central Asia|page=66|publisher=Basic Books|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ssv-GONnxTsC&q=Tournament+of+Shadows:+The+Great+Game+and+the+Race+for+Empire+in+Central+Asia|isbn=978-0-465-04576-1}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Russia more or less openly pursued a policy to free their newly conquered land from Iran's influence. By doing this, the Russian government helped to create and spread a new Turkic identity that, in contrast to the previous one, was founded on secular principles, particularly the shared language. As a result, many Iranian-speaking residents of the future Azerbaijan Republic at the time either started hiding their Iranian ancestry or underwent progressive assimilation. The [[Tat people (Caucasus)|Tats]] and [[Kurds]] underwent these integration processes particularly quickly.{{sfn|Ter-Abrahamian|2005|p=121}}

[[Anti-Russian sentiment]] was so high in Persia during that time that uprisings in numerous cities were formed. The famous Russian intellectual, ambassador to Persia, and [[Alexander Pushkin]]'s best friend, [[Alexander Griboyedov]], was killed along with hundreds of [[Cossacks]] by angry mobs in Tehran during these uprisings.
With the Russian Empire still advancing south in the course of two wars against Persia, and the treaties of Turkmanchay and Golestan in the western frontiers, plus the unexpected death of [[Abbas Mirza]] in 1823, and the murder of Persia's Grand Vizier ([[Abol-Qasem Qa'em-Maqam]]), Persia lost its traditional foothold in [[Central Asia]].<ref>[[Nasser Takmil Homayoun]]. ''Kharazm: What do I know about Iran?''. 2004. {{ISBN|964-379-023-1}} p.78.</ref> The [[Treaty of Akhal]], in which the Qajarid's were forced to drop all claims on Central Asia and parts of [[Turkmenistan]], topped off Persian losses to the global emerging power of Imperial Russia.

[[Image:Siege of Erivan Fortress on 1 October 1827.jpg|thumb|Painting of the [[Capture of Erivan]] during the [[Russo-Persian War (1826–28)|Russo-Persian War of 1826–28]]]]
In the same period, by a proposal of the Shah with the backing of the Tsar, the Russians founded the [[Persian Cossack Brigade]], which and would prove to be crucial in the next few decades of Iranian history and Irano-Russian relations. The Persian Cossacks were organized along Russian lines and controlled by Russian officers.<ref name="Praeger Publishers">{{cite book|last1=Ziring|first1=Lawrence|title=Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan, A Political Chronology|date=1981|publisher=Praeger Publishers|location=United States|isbn=0-03-058651-8}}</ref> They dominated Tehran and most northern centers of living. The Russians also organized a banking institution in Iran, which they established in 1890.{{sfn|Basseer|Clawson|Floor|1988|pages=698–709}}

During the 19th century, Russians dealt with Iran as an inferior "Orient", and held its people in contempt whilst ridiculing all aspects of [[Iranian culture]].<ref name="Andreeva">{{Encyclopædia Iranica Online|last=Andreeva|first=Elena|title=RUSSIA i. Russo-Iranian Relations up to the Bolshevik Revolution|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/russia-i-relations|year=2014}}</ref> The Russian version of contemporaneous Western attitudes of superiority differed however. As Russian national identity was divided between East and West and [[Russian culture]] held many Asian elements, Russians consequently felt equivocal and even inferior to [[Western Europeans]]. In order to stem the tide of this particular [[inferiority complex]], they tried to overcompensate to Western European powers by overemphasizing their own Europeanness and Christian faith, and by expressing scornfully their low opinion of Iranians. The historian Elena Andreeva adds that this trend was not only very apparent in over 200 Russian travelogues written about Iran and published in the course of the 19th and early 20th centuries, but also in diplomatic and other official documents.<ref name="Andreeva"/>
[[File:Alexander II of Russia and Naser al-Din Shah Qajar by M.Zichy (1874, Hermitage).jpg|thumb|left|[[Alexander II of Russia]] and [[Naser al-Din Shah Qajar]] in Saint Petersburg, 1873]]
In 1907, Russia and Britain divided Iran into three segments that served their mutual interests, in the [[Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907]].<ref name="Praeger Publishers"/> The Russians gained control over the northern areas of Iran, which included the cities of [[Tabriz]], Tehran, [[Mashad]], and [[Isfahan]]. The British were given the southeastern region and control of the Persian Gulf, and the territory between the two regions was classified as neutral territory.

Russia's influence in northern Iran was paramount from the signing of the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907 until the outbreak of [[World War I]] in 1914.<ref name="Andreeva"/> During this time period, it stationed troops in Iran's [[Gilan Province|Gilan]], [[Azerbaijan (Iran)|Azerbaijan]] and [[Khorasan Province|Khorasan]] provinces, and its diplomatic offices (consulates) in these parts wieleded considerable power. These consulates dominated the local Iranian administration and in some circumstances even collected local taxes. Starting in the same year as the Anglo-Russian Convention, unpremeditated Russian colonization commenced in [[Mazandaran Province|Mazandaran]] and Astarabad provinces. Then, in 1912, Russian foreign policy officially adopted the plan to colonize northern Iran. At the outbreak of World War I, there were most likely some 4,000 Russian settlers in Astarabad and Mazandaran, whereas in northeastern Iran the Russians had founded a minimum of 15 Russian villages.<ref name="Andreeva"/>

During the reign of [[Nicholas II of Russia]], Russian occupational troops played a major role in the attempted Tsarist suppression of the [[Iranian Constitutional Revolution]].<ref name="VolkovJournal"/><ref name="Andreeva"/> In the dawn of the outbreak of World War I, Russian occupational forces occupied [[Qajar Iran]]'s Azerbaijan province as well as the entire north and north-east of the country, and amounted to circa twenty thousand.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Volkov |first1=Denis V. |title=Bringing democracy into Iran: a Russian project for the separation of Azerbaijan |journal=Middle Eastern Studies |date=2022 |volume=58 |issue=6 |page=4|doi=10.1080/00263206.2022.2029423|s2cid=246923610 }}</ref> Following the start of the [[Persian campaign (World War I)|Persian Campaign]] of World War I, the number of Russian troops in Iran moderately grew to some eighty or ninety thousand.

As a result of the major Anglo-Russian influence in Iran, at a high point, the central government in Tehran was left with no power to even select its own ministers without the approval of the Anglo-Russian consulates. [[Morgan Shuster]], for example, had to resign under British and Russian diplomatic pressure on the Persian government. Shuster's book ''The Strangling of Persia: Story of the European Diplomacy and Oriental Intrigue That Resulted in the Denationalization of Twelve Million Mohammedans'' is an account of this period, criticizing the policies of Russian and Britain in Iran.<ref>[[Morgan Shuster]], ''The Strangling of Persia: Story of the European Diplomacy and Oriental Intrigue That Resulted in the Denationalization of Twelve Million Mohammedans''. {{ISBN|0-934211-06-X}}</ref>

[[File:Liakhov.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Colonel [[V. Liakhov]] was notorious for shelling the [[Majles|National Iranian Assembly]] in 1911.]]
These, and a series of climaxing events such as the Russian shelling of Mashad's [[Goharshad Mosque]] in 1911, and the shelling of the [[Majles|Persian National Assembly]] by the Russian Colonel [[V. Liakhov]], led to a surge in widespread anti-Russian sentiments across the nation.

===Pahlavi–Soviet Union===
[[File:"Les Russes à Ispahan" by Eugène Damblans in Le Petit Journal, 23 April 1916.jpg|thumb|right|Image from 1916 French magazine showing the "Russians at [[Isfahan]]".]]

After the Russian Revolution of March 1917, the imperial army of the Czar collapsed, leading to the emergence of nationalist and socialist movements in Iran's northern regions. The Bolshevik Revolution in November had a comparable effect throughout Iran.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hiro|first1=Dilip|title=Iran Under the Ayatollahs (Routledge Revivals)|publisher=Routledge|year=2013|page=273}}</ref> One result of the public outcry against the ubiquitous presence of Imperial Russia in Persia was the [[Constitutionalist movement of Gilan]], which followed up the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. Many participants of the revolution were Iranians educated in the Caucasus, direct émigrés (also called [[Ethnic cleansing of Circassians|Caucasian muhajirs]]) from the Caucasus, as well as Armenians that at the same period were busy with establishing the [[Dashnaktsutyun]] party as well as operations directed against the neighboring Ottoman Empire. The rebellion in Gilan, headed by [[Mirza Kuchak Khan]] led to an eventual confrontation between the Iranian rebels and the Russian army, but was disrupted with the [[October Revolution]] in 1917.

As a result of the October Revolution, thousands of Russians fled the country, many to [[Russians in Iran|Persia]]. Many of these refugees settled in northern Persia creating their own communities of which many of their descendants still populate the country. Some notable descendants of these Russian refugees in Persia include the political activist and writer [[Marina Nemat]] and the former general and deputy chief of the [[Imperial Iranian Air Force]] [[Nader Jahanbani]], whose mother was a [[White émigré]].

Russian involvement however continued on with the establishment of the short-lived [[Persian Socialist Soviet Republic]] in 1920, supported by Azeri and Caucasian [[Bolshevik]] leaders. After the fall of this republic, in late 1921, political and economic relations were renewed. In the 1920s, trade between the Soviet Union and Persia reached again important levels. [[Baku]] played a particularly significant role as the venue for a trade fair between the USSR and the Middle East, notably Persia.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Forestier-Peyrat |first1=Etienne |title=Red Passage to Iran: The Baku Trade Fair and the Unmaking of the Azerbaijani Borderland, 1922–1930 |journal=Ab Imperio |date=2013 |volume=2013 |issue=4 |pages=79–112 |id={{Project MUSE|539829}} |doi=10.1353/imp.2013.0094 |s2cid=140676760 |url=https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-01783392/file/Red%20Passage_Final.pdf }}</ref>

In 1921, Britain and the new Bolshevik government entered into an agreement that reversed the division of Iran made in 1907. The Bolsheviks returned all the territory back to Iran, and Iran once more had secured navigation rights on the Caspian Sea. This agreement to evacuate from Iran was made in the [[Russo-Persian Treaty of Friendship (1921)]], but the regaining of Iranian territory did not protect the [[Qajar dynasty]] from a sudden ''coup d'état'' led by Colonel [[Reza Shah]].<ref name="Praeger Publishers"/>
[[File:Shahstalinmolotov.JPG|thumb|Young [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Mohammad Reza Shah]] (centre), pictured between [[Joseph Stalin]] and [[Vyacheslav Molotov]] at the [[Tehran Conference]] in 1943]]
In the 1920s-1930s, the Soviet secret service ([[Cheka]]-[[OGPU]]-[[NKVD]]) carried out clandestine operations on Iranian soil as it tried to eliminate [[White émigré]]es that had moved to Iran.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Volkov |first1=Denis V. |title=Bringing democracy into Iran: a Russian project for the separation of Azerbaijan |journal=Middle Eastern Studies |date=2022 |volume=58 |issue=6 |page=7 |doi=10.1080/00263206.2022.2029423|s2cid=246923610 }}</ref> In 1941, as the [[Second World War]] raged, the [[Soviet Union]] and the [[United Kingdom]] launched [[Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran|an undeclared joint invasion of Iran]], ignoring its plea of neutrality.

In a revealing cable sent on July 6, 1945, by the [[Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Central Committee]] of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party]] of the Soviet Union, the local Soviet commander in northern Azerbaijan was instructed as such:

:''"Begin preparatory work to form a national autonomous Azerbaijan district with broad powers within the Iranian state and simultaneously develop separatist movements in the provinces of [[Gilan Province|Gilan]], [[Mazandaran Province|Mazandaran]], [[Gorgan]], and [[greater Khorasan|
Khorasan]]".''<ref>Decree of the CC CPSU Politburo to Mir Bagirov, CC Secretary of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, on "measures to Organize a Separatist Movement in Southern Azerbaijan and Other Provinces of Northern Iran". Translation provided by The Cold War International History Project at The [[Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars]].</ref>

After the end of the war, the Soviets supported two newly formed puppet states in Iran, the [[Azerbaijan People's Government]] and the [[Republic of Mahabad]], but both collapsed in the [[Iran crisis of 1946]]. This postwar confrontation brought the [[United States]] fully into Iran's political arena and, with [[Cold War]] starting, the US quickly moved to convert Iran into an anti-communist ally.

[[File:Stamp Soviet Union 1935 CPA517.png|thumb|1935 USSR stamp marking the 3rd International Congress of Iranian Art, held in [[Leningrad]]]]

===Islamic Republic of Iran-Soviet Union===
The Soviet Union was the first state to recognize the [[Islamic Republic of Iran]], in February 1979.<ref name=jubin>{{cite journal|last=Goodarzi|first=Jubin M.|title=Syria and Iran: Alliance Cooperation in a Changing Regional Environment|journal=Middle East Studies|date=January 2013|volume=4|issue=2|pages=31–59|url=http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/enUploads/Article/Files/201331_makale2.pdf|access-date=6 August 2013}}</ref> During the [[Iran–Iraq War]] (1980-1988), however, it supplied Iraqi leader [[Saddam Hussein]] with large amounts of conventional arms, ostensibly standing in opposition to the Iranian regime. As Iran considered attacking Iraq in July 1982, the Soviet Union warned against it. At the UN Security Council, the USSR voted for a resolution calling for a ceasefire and a return to international borders.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hiro|first1=Dilip|title=Iran Under the Ayatollahs (Routledge Revivals)|publisher=Routledge|year=2013|page=290}}</ref> Supreme Leader [[Ruhollah Khomeini|Ayatollah Khomeini]] deemed Islam principally incompatible with the [[communism|communist]] ideals (such as [[atheism]]) of the Soviet Union, calling it the "Lesser Satan" and rejecting alignment with either side in the [[Cold War]] between the US and the USSR.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Iran Primer: Power, Politics, and U.S. Policy |publisher=United States Institute of Peace |editor=Wright, Robin B. |pages=186 |chapter=Iran and Russia |author=Katz, Mark N. |year=2010 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MDgwl59s_hUC&pg=PA186 |isbn=978-1-60127-084-9 |access-date=2020-11-28 |archive-date=2024-09-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240904222222/https://books.google.com/books?id=MDgwl59s_hUC&pg=PA186#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> During the early years of the [[Iran–Iraq War]], the USSR supplied Iraq with most of its weaponry, while Iran backed select elements of the Afghan [[mujahideen]] in their war against the Soviets.<ref name=evorus/><ref name=frifor>{{cite web | last=Aliyev | first=Nurlan | title=Iran-Russia partnership: Friends forever? – Riddle Russia | website=Riddle Russia | date=2025-01-21 | url=https://ridl.io/iran-russia-partnership-friends-forever/ | access-date=2025-06-24}}</ref> However, later the USA imposed an [[Operation Staunch|arms embargo on Iran]], and the Soviet Union began to supply arms to Iran via [[North Korea]].<ref>{{cite journal |id={{Project MUSE|900752}} |last1=Szalontai |first1=Balázs |last2=Jinil |first2=Yoo |title=Maneuvering between Baghdad and Tehran: North Korea's Relations with Iraq and Iran during the Cold War |journal=Journal of Cold War Studies |date=2023 |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=179–247 |doi=10.1162/jcws_a_01119 }}</ref> 

After the war, in 1989, Iran made an arms deal with Soviet Union.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Russian Arms and Technology Transfers to Iran:Policy Challenges for the United States {{!}} Arms Control Association|url=https://armscontrol.org/act/2001-03/iran-nuclear-briefs/russian-arms-technology-transfers-iranpolicy-challenges-united|access-date=2020-09-09|website=armscontrol.org}}</ref> The military agreement allowed Iran to acquire advanced Russian aircraft, including MIG-29s and SU-24s. Iran urgently needed such equipment, as its air force had been severely depleted by the eight-year war with Iraq and was unable to obtain spare parts or new aircraft from the United States.<ref name=meriari/>

Iranian Supreme Leader Khomeini died in 1989 and was succeeded by [[Ali Khamenei]].<ref>{{cite web | last=Wastnidge | first=Edward | title=Who is Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei | website=Middle East Eye | date=2024-04-17 | url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iran-who-is-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-profile | access-date=2025-06-19}}</ref>

===Islamic Republic of Iran-Russian Federation===
[[File:Борис Николаевич Ельцин-1.jpg|thumb| 130px|Russian president [[Boris Yeltsin]]]]
After [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|the USSR collapsed]] in december 1991, [[Boris Yeltsin]]—already president of the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic]]—became the first president of the [[Russian Federation]], holding the position until 1999.<ref>{{cite web | title=Boris Yeltsin: History, Political Career & Legacy | website=study.com | url=https://study.com/learn/lesson/boris-yeltsin-history-career-russia.html | access-date=2025-06-19}}</ref>

Under Yeltsin, Russia viewed Iran as a key market for arms and nuclear technology, and as a means to assert foreign policy independence from the United States.<ref name=meriari>{{cite web | last=Freedman | first=Robert O. | title=MERIA: Russian-Iranian Relations in the 1990s | website=CIAO | date=2000-01-01 | url=https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/olj/meria/meria00_frr01.html | access-date=2025-06-19}}</ref> Ties deepened after the [[Gulf War]] in 1990-1991, as Iran, facing a stronger U.S. military presence in the region through [[Gulf Cooperation Council]] alliances, increasingly relied on Russian military support.<ref name=meriari/> Russia inherited Soviet-era arms deals and agreed by the mid-1990s to develope [[Nuclear program of Iran|Iran's nuclear program]] with plans to resume work on Iran's long-delayed [[nuclear reactor]] plant at [[Bushehr]].<ref>{{cite thesis |last1=Nikdel |first1=Mohammad Ranjbar |title=Analyzing the (non) alignment with the UN, EU and US Sanctions against Iran in the foreign policies of the CIS states |date=2013 |hdl=1822/26023 |page=41 }}</ref> The two countries also cooperated in countering Turkish influence in Central Asia and the Caucasus, and restraining [[Azerbaijani nationalism]]. Meanwhile, Iran benefited from Russian diplomatic support amid U.S.-led efforts to isolate it.<ref name=meriari/>

Although Yeltsin initially sought closer ties with the United States, domestic critics pressured him to demonstrate independence. He pointed to Russia’s 1993 nuclear reactor deal with Iran as evidence of an autonomous foreign policy. This deal drew U.S. criticism over [[nuclear proliferation|proliferation]] risks, which Russia also sought to avoid, leading Yeltsin to cancel a proposed transfer of centrifuge technology.<ref name=meriari/>

By 1995, both countries were describing their growing ties as strategic. With the [[First Chechen War]] and looming [[Enlargement of NATO|NATO expansion]], Russian nationalists saw Iran as a counterweight to Western influence. A cooperative Iran was also seen as a way to prevent support for insurgents in Russia’s south. In March 1996, Iranian Foreign Minister [[Ali Akbar Velayati]] visited Moscow and declared bilateral ties at a historic high. Both countries opposed NATO enlargement and expanded military and economic cooperation. Reports suggested Russia was ready to sell Iran $4 billion in arms and equipment between 1997 and 2007, pending financial guarantees.<ref name=meriari/>

Iran and Russia shared an interest in opposing the [[Taliban]], whose [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)|takeover of Afghanistan]] in 1996 threatened regional stability. Concerns over extremism and [[drug trafficking]] led to deeper cooperation, including a 1999 agreement to combat narcotics.<ref name=meriari/> Their joint efforts during the  [[Tajikistani Civil War|civil war in Tajikistan]] also helped solidify relations.<ref name=meriari/><br>  
Both Iran and Russia viewed "[[Turkey]]'s regional ambitions and the possible spread of some form of pan-Turkic ideology with suspicion".<ref>Herzig Edmund, ''Iran and the former Soviet South'', [[Royal Institute for International Affairs]], 1995, {{ISBN|1-899658-04-1}}, p.9</ref>

[[File:Mohammad Khatami - December 11, 2007.jpg|thumb|130px|Iranian president [[Mohammad Khatami]]]]
In May 1997, [[Mohammad Khatami]] was elected president of Iran on a moderate platform of  social and democratic reform, and economic change.<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Fetini | first=Alyssa | title=Mohammed Khatami | magazine=TIME | date=2009-02-10 | url=https://time.com/archive/6945665/mohammed-khatami/ | access-date=2025-06-19}}</ref> His election briefly raised hopes of a [[Iran-U.S. relations|U.S.–Iran thaw]], but the initiative stalled by mid-1998 due domestic opposition in Iran. Russian policymakers feared losing influence if Iran reoriented toward the West. Despite U.S. pressure over missile and nuclear cooperation, Russia prioritized its strategic ties with Iran—most notably through the [[Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant|Bushehr reactor]]—while managing tensions with the U.S.<ref name=meriari/>

Russia and Iran deepened their cooperation in 1999 to counter Western-backed energy projects like the [[Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline|Baku-Ceyhan]] and [[Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline|Trans-Caspian pipelines]]. Though their long-term Caspian interests diverged, they worked together to block rival projects and assert regional influence.<ref name=meriari/>

Despite strong ties, the [[Second Chechen War]] strained the relationship. Iran, then leading the [[Organization of the Islamic Conference]], faced pressure to denounce Russia’s brutal conduct in Chechnya, but it tried to balance Islamic solidarity with its strategic alliance with Russia. Iran criticized Russian actions and sent aid to Chechen refugees, while Russia accused Iran of backing rebels but tolerated limited OIC involvement. Both sides downplayed the tensions, but the war marked the start of a gradual cooling in relations.<ref name=meriari/>

==Khamenei-Putin era==
{{multiple image
| image1    = Ali Khamenei crop.jpg
| width1    = 125
| alt1      = Head shot of Khamenei
| caption1  = [[Ali Khamenei]]
| image2    = Владимир Путин (08-03-2024) (cropped).jpg
| width2    = 116
| alt2      = Head shot of Vladimir Putin
| caption2  = [[Vladimir Putin]]
}}

[[Vladimir Putin]] was elected president of Russia in March 2000 and inaugurated on 7 May that year.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Savranskaya | first1=Svetlana | last2=Blanton | first2=Tom | last3=Sherman | first3=with Natalie | title=Putin's First Election, March 2000 | website=National Security Archive | date=2024-03-21 | url=https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/russia-programs/2024-03-21/putins-first-election-march-2000 | access-date=2025-06-24}}</ref> The Iranian government’s decision to reorient its foreign policy toward the East, combined with the unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States, has led to increased cooperation between Iran and Russia.<ref>{{cite web | last=Therme | first=Clément | title=RUSSIA iii. Russo-Iranian Relations in the Post-Soviet Era (1991-present) | website=Encyclopaedia Iranica | date=2024-10-21 | url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/russia-iii-iranian-relations-post-soviet/ | access-date=2025-06-24}}</ref> 

[[File:Third GECF summit in Tehran 28.jpg|thumb|180px|[[Hassan Rouhani]] and [[Vladimir Putin]] in [[Tehran]], 20 November 2015]]
In March 2001, President Putin hosted Iranian President [[Khatami]] in Moscow, where the two leaders signed the Treaty on the Basic Elements of Relations and the Principles of Cooperation.<ref name = cricoo/> Although the treaty did not redefine the relationship as a strategic partnership, the summit underscored warming ties and coincided with Russia’s withdrawal from the [[Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission]],<ref name = cricoo/> a U.S. and Russian agreement to increase cooperation between the two countries in several different areas.<ref name="Commission1996">1996. "U.S.-Russian Joint Commission on Economic and Technological Cooperation (Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission)." Department of State of the United States of America. Retrieved October 19, 2011.</ref> This paved the way for future arms deals reportedly worth $7 billion.<ref name = cricoo>{{cite web | url=https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1901&context=open_access_etds |title=The Crisis of Cooperation: A Critical Analysis of Russian-Iranian Relations in the Post-Soviet Era|access-date=2025-06-24}}</ref>

===Military and security cooperation===
{{see also|Russia–Syria–Iran–Iraq coalition}}
Prior to the Iranian Revolution, Iran's air fleet was entirely Western-made, but by the early 2000s, its [[Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force|Air Force]] and civilian air fleet were increasingly becoming domestically and Russian-built, as the U.S. and Europe continued to maintain sanctions on Iran.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4504434.stm |title=Middle East &#124; Iran air safety hit by sanctions |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=2005-12-06 |access-date=2016-10-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.payvand.com/news/04/mar/1195.html |title=Iran to buy five TU 100-204 planes from Russia |publisher=Payvand.com |access-date=2016-10-22 |archive-date=23 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023050532/http://www.payvand.com/news/04/mar/1195.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=ain05>{{cite web |date=November 2005 |publisher=Aviation International News |url=http://www.ainonline.com/Publications/dubai/2005/d1iranp41.htm |title=Iran is captive market for Tu-204 |access-date=2006-07-15 |url-status=dead |first=Reuben |last=Johnson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614070205/http://www.ainonline.com/Publications/Dubai/2005/d1iranp41.htm |archive-date=2006-06-14 }}</ref> Between 2000 and 2007, Russia became Iran’s primary arms supplier, accounting for approximately 85% of the country’s total military imports. During this period, Iran ranked as the third-largest recipient of Russian weapons, with deliveries valued at $1.96 billion—equivalent to 5.4% of Russia’s total military exports.<ref name=frifor/>

In May 2007 Iran was invited to join the [[Collective Security Treaty Organization]] (CSTO), the Russia-based international treaty organization that parallels [[NATO]].<ref name="lin15"/><ref name="valvo12">{{cite news |last1=Valvo |first1=Giovanni |title=Syria, Iran And The Future Of The CSTO – Analysis |url=https://www.eurasiareview.com/14122012-syria-iran-and-the-future-of-the-csto-analysis/ |publisher=Eurasia Review |date=14 December 2012}}</ref> The invitation came from the desk of then CSTO Secretary-General [[Nikolai Bordyuzha]], who said that "the CSTO is an open organization. If Iran applies in accordance with our charter, we will consider the application." It was stated by a Western observer that the accession failed "basically due to the ayatollahs’ opposition to join a military bloc clearly dominated by a traditionally rival power of Iran such as Russia."<ref name=valvo12/> Another Western observer points out that, like NATO, CSTO has a mutual defense treaty clause whereby attack against one is considered an attack against all and was concerned about the difficulty posed by a possible conflagration of the Iran-Israel variety.<ref name=lin15/> Iran never joined.<ref name= evorus/> In November 2014 [[Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki]] head [[Sergey Naryshkin]] floated the idea of admitting Iran as an observer to the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly.<ref name=lin15/><ref name="tass6n">{{cite news |title=Iran, other states might become observers at CSTO parliamentary assembly — Naryshkin |url=https://tass.com/world/758407 |publisher=TASS |date=6 November 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Shahed 191 and Shahed 129 - SAT.jpg|left|thumb|Russian delegation viewing Iranian drones, including the [[Shahed 129]] and the [[Shahed Saegheh]], at Kashan Airfield in June 2022 during the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]]]]
In 2010, Iran's refusal to halt its uranium enrichment program led the [[UN]] to pass [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929]], which imposed a new round of sanctions banning the sale of all types of heavy weaponry to Iran, including missiles. Russia voted in favour of the resolution.<ref>{{cite web | title=UN votes for new sanctions on Iran over nuclear issue | website=BBC News | date=2010-06-09 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/10276276 | access-date=2025-06-24}}</ref> This resulted in the cancellation of the planned sale of the [[S-300 (missile)|S-300]] system to Iran in September 2010, and Russian president [[Dmitry Medvedev]] subsequently signed a decree banning the further delivery of armored vehicles, warplanes, helicopters, and ships to Iran.<ref>{{cite web| title = Kremlin Bans Sale of S-300 Missile Systems to Iran | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11388680 | website = bbc.com | date = 22 September 2010 | access-date = 4 August 2024}}</ref> In response to the cancellation, Iran filed a lawsuit against Russia in a Swiss court in 2012.<ref>{{cite web | title=Pro-Iranian Lobby Attempts to Revive Russia's Sale of S-300 Missiles to Iran | website=Jamestown | date=2012-07-26 | url=https://jamestown.org/program/pro-iranian-lobby-attempts-to-revive-russias-sale-of-s-300-missiles-to-iran/ | access-date=2025-06-24}}</ref> 

Since the outbreak of the [[Syrian Civil War]] in 2011, [[Iranian intervention in the Syrian civil war|Iran]] and [[Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war|Russia]] became the principal allies of president [[Bashar al-Assad]]'s government, openly providing it with military support. Following the 2015 [[Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action|JCPOA]] agreement, Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] lifted the ban on the S-300, reviving Iran's missile defense system.<ref>{{cite web | last=Shahidsaless | first=Shahir | title=New politics behind Russia's supply of S-300 missile system to Iran | website=Middle East Eye | date=2015-04-27 | url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/new-politics-behind-russias-supply-s-300-missile-system-iran | access-date=2025-06-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Russia Ban On S-300s To Iran Lifted|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-lifts-ban-on-supplies-of-s-300-missiles-to-iran/26953172.html|access-date=2021-11-18|newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=13 April 2015 |language=en}}</ref> Russia completed delivery of the four S-300 batteries to Iran in November 2016. This sale was reported to be followed by a $10 billion deal that included helicopters, planes and artillery systems.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Russia Completes S-300 Delivery to Iran {{!}} Arms Control Association|url=https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2016-11/news-briefs/russia-completes-s-300-delivery-iran|access-date=2021-11-18|website=www.armscontrol.org}}</ref> However, an editorial analysis from 2022 found such a deal highly unlikely, citing the implausibility of key elements such as Iran paying oil-rich Russia in crude, inflated cost estimates, and the alleged reassignment of Su-35s originally intended for Egypt.  The analysis also questioned Iran’s financial and logistical capacity to integrate such advanced hardware, noting its past difficulties with cheaper alternatives.<ref>{{cite web | title=How Realistic Are Western Press Reports of a $10 Billion Russian-Iranian Su-35 and S-400 Arms Deal? | website=Military Watch Magazine | date=2022-01-15 | url=https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/western-press-10billion-iran-su35-s400 | access-date=2025-06-24}}</ref>

Meanwhile, Russia's own relations with the West plummeted due to the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]], the [[Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal|2018 Skripal poisoning incident]] in Great Britain, and alleged Russian interference with Western politics, prompting the U.S and Europe to retaliate with sanctions against Russia.  As a result, Russia has shown a degree of willingness to deepen its military ties with Iran.

In January 2021 Iran, China and Russia held their third joint naval exercise, the third joint exercise of the three countries, in the northern [[Indian Ocean]] and the [[Sea of Oman]] area. The joint exercise of the three countries began in 2019 in the Indian Ocean.<ref>{{Cite news|title=India Iran, China and Russia hold naval drills in north Indian Ocean|website=[[Reuters]] |date=21 January 2022 |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/india/iran-china-russia-hold-naval-drills-north-indian-ocean-2022-01-21/}}</ref>

In early 2024, amid concerns of vastly increased military engagement between the two partners, rumours abounded that Russia had sold to Iran their [[Su-35]] platform.<ref name="stim1">{{cite news |date=6 March 2024 |url=https://www.stimson.org/2024/iran-and-russia-enter-a-new-level-of-military-cooperation/ |title=Iran and Russia Enter a New Level of Military Cooperation • Stimson Center }}</ref><ref name="ni1">{{cite news |date=13 February 2024 |url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/iran-could-soon-be-flying-russias-su-35-flanker-e-fighter-jet-209328 |title=Iran Could Soon be Flying Russia's Su-35 Flanker-E Fighter Jet }}</ref><ref name="ac1">{{cite news |date=19 April 2024 |url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/iransource/iran-israel-drones-missiles-operation-true-promise/ |title=Iran once had air inferiority. After its attack on Israel, it flies high }}</ref> This followed a 2023 report that the partners had finalized a deal for Su-35, [[Mi-28]] and [[Yak-130]].<ref name="msn1">{{cite news| title=Signal: Iran finalises receipt of Sukhoi Su-35 jets from Russia|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/signal-iran-finalises-receipt-of-sukhoi-su-35-jets-from-russia/ar-AA1kK09N}}</ref>

====Russian invasion of Ukraine====
{{See also|Iran and the Russian invasion of Ukraine}}
[[File:Meeting between Putin and Khamenei 6.jpeg|thumb|Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] (right) meeting with Iranian Supreme Leader [[Ali Khamenei]] (left) and former Iranian President [[Ebrahim Raisi]] (far right) in Tehran, 19 July 2022]]
[[File:Destructions in Sumy after Russian attack, 2024-03-13 (51).jpg|thumb|Residential building in [[Sumy, Ukraine]] after a Russian attack with Iranian drones on 13 March 2024]]
According to the United States, Russia sought to acquire drones from Iran during [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|its invasion of Ukraine]], with a Russian delegation visiting Kashan Airfield south of Tehran during June and July 2022 to observe drones manufactured by Iran.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bertrand |first=Natasha |date=15 July 2022 |title=Exclusive: Russians have visited Iran at least twice in last month to examine weapons-capable drones |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/15/politics/russian-visit-iran-weapons-capable-drones/index.html |access-date=2022-07-16 |website=CNN}}</ref> Iran criticized the assessment by the United States, saying that it would not supply Russia or Ukraine with military equipment during the war, instead demanding that both nations seek a peaceful resolution.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Frantzman |first=Seth J. |date=16 July 2022 |title=Iran tries to downplay potential drone transfers to Russia - analysis |url=https://www.jpost.com/international/article-712245 |access-date=2022-07-16 |website=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In September 2022, the Ukrainian military claimed that it encountered an Iranian-supplied suicide drone used by Russia, publishing images of the wreckage of the drone.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gambrell |first=Jon |date=2022-09-14 |title=Ukraine's military claims downing Iran drone used by Russia |work=[[AP News]] |url=https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-army-182ef49a89cc5ccbf442d38423b6117f |access-date=2022-09-14}}</ref> On October 6, 2022, Iran agreed to provide "additional" surface to air missiles and drones to Russia.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-10-18 |title=Iran agrees to ship missiles, more drones to Russia |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/exclusive-iran-agrees-ship-missiles-more-drones-russia-defying-west-sources-2022-10-18/ |access-date=2022-10-19}}</ref> On October 24, 2022, Iranian Foreign Minister [[Hossein Amir-Abdollahian|Hossein Amirabdollahian]] said that Iran would "not remain indifferent" if it is "proven that Iranian drones are being used in the Ukraine war against people," but claimed defense cooperation between Iran and Russia would continue nonetheless.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-10-24 |title=Iran will not remain indifferent if proven Russia using its drones in Ukraine - official |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/iran-says-it-will-not-remain-indifferent-if-proven-russia-uses-its-drones-2022-10-24/ |access-date=2022-10-25}}</ref>

According to various media outlets, as of 2023, American intelligence has claimed that Iran has been assisting Moscow in building a drone factory within its borders to maintain its war machine in Ukraine.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=US says Iran is helping Russia build drone manufacturing facility |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/9/us-says-iran-is-helping-russia-build-drone-manufacturing-facility |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Shoaib |first=Alia |title=Iran's attack drones have become a key weapon in Russia's war arsenal. Now Tehran is helping Putin to build his own factory to produce them, says the White House. |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-building-drone-manufacturing-plant-iran-us-says-2023-6 |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref>

In August 2023, the [[White House]] reportedly urged Iran to cease selling armed drones to Russia as part of broader discussions in [[Qatar]] and [[Oman]], aimed at de-escalating the nuclear crisis. This effort ran alongside negotiations for a prisoner exchange deal, which had led to the transfer of Iranian-US citizens from prison to house arrest. The US seeks to prevent Iran from supplying drones, spare parts, and other wares to Russia, which it uses in [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|its invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{Cite news |last= Smith |first=Gordon |date=2023-08-16 |title= FirstFT: US presses Iran to stop selling drones to Russia |language=en |work=Financial Times |url= https://www.ft.com/content/fa140f55-d02c-4c64-8176-b5530599e836  |access-date=2023-08-22}}</ref>

Ten days after the [[Crocus City Hall attack]] in Moscow it was reported that Iran had warned Russia that a major "terrorist operation" was being planned, based on information gathered from [[Islamic State – Khorasan Province|ISIS–K]] militants arrested after the [[2024 Kerman bombings]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Exclusive: Iran alerted Russia to security threat before Moscow attack |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/iran-alerted-russia-security-threat-before-moscow-attack-sources-say-2024-04-01/ |work=[[Reuters]] |date=1 April 2024}}</ref>

Russia supported the Turkish and Azerbaijani [[Zangezur corridor]] plan, drawing a diplomatic rebuke from Iran in 2024.<ref>{{cite web|work=Iran International|title=Iran rebukes Russia over its policy shift on Zangezur corridor|date=2 September 2024|url=https://www.iranintl.com/en/202409022022}}</ref>

====Iran-Israel war====
{{See also|Iran-Israel war}}
On 17 January 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President [[Masoud Pezeshkian]] signed the [[Iranian–Russian Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership]] to strengthen bilateral ties.<ref>{{cite web | title=Inside the strategic partnership treaty between Iran and Russia | website=Middle East Eye | date=2025-01-14 | url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iran-russia-inside-strategic-partnership-treaty | access-date=2025-06-18}}</ref> The treaty was ratified between April and June,<ref>{{cite web | title=Guardian Council approves strategic partnership treaty with Russia | website=Tehran Times | date=2025-06-11 | url=https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/514205/Guardian-Council-approves-strategic-partnership-treaty-with-Russia | access-date=2025-06-24}}</ref> shortly before the outbreak of the Iran–Israel war on June 13, 2025. This treaty is not a military alliance and does not commit Russia to defend Iran.<ref name=feaano/> Before the war, Russia also denied any military assistance to Iran in the event of a U.S. military invasion, while asserting that such an invasion would ultimately fail.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/russia-iran-attack-trump-nuclear-2056849|title=Russia signals response to possible US attack on Iran|date=April 8, 2025|website=Newsweek}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bj11hmgerje|title=Russia says bombing Iran will fail after Trump issues threats|date=April 9, 2025|website=www.ynetnews.com}}</ref>

Following the Iran–Israel war that started on 13 June 2025, Russian officials described the Middle East escalation as “alarming” and “dangerous,” though Russian media highlighted potential benefits for Moscow, such as rising oil prices, diminished global focus on Ukraine, and a possible diplomatic role for the Kremlin.<ref name=feaano/> However, analysts noted that a prolonged conflict could also carry significant risks for Russia, including the potential overthrow of Iran’s current leadership and the loss of a key regional partner, after already having lost Syria.<ref name=feaano>{{cite web | last=Rosenberg | first=Steve | title=Russia fears another loss in Middle East from Iran's conflict with Israel | website=BBC Home | date=2025-06-17 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w463pyj90o | access-date=2025-06-18}}</ref>

During the war, after both Israel and the US had bombed Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister [[Abbas Araghchi]] met with  Putin in Moscow on 23 June 2025.<ref name = puttel>{{cite web | last=Dmitry Antonov | first=Marina Bobrova | title=Putin tells Iranian foreign minister there was no justification for US attack | website=Reuters | date=2025-06-23 | url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/putin-tells-iranian-foreign-minister-there-was-no-justification-us-attack-2025-06-23/ | access-date=2025-06-24}}</ref> In televised remarks, Putin condemned the U.S. bombing as “absolutely unprovoked aggression” and reaffirmed Russia’s intent to support the Iranian people.<ref name = puttel/> Araghchi, in turn, defended Iran’s response as legitimate self-defense and thanked Russia for its condemnation of the attacks, praising Moscow for standing on the “right side of history and international law.” While Putin expressed a desire to work together on resolving the crisis,<ref name = puttel/> he refrained from pledging any specific assistance to his main ally in the region.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Fabian | first1=Emanuel | last2=Magid | first2=Jacob | last3=Magid | first3=Jacob | last4=Berman | first4=Lazar | last5=Freiberg | first5=Nava | last6=Berman | first6=Lazar | last7=Berman | first7=Lazar | last8=Magid | first8=Jacob | last9=Freiberg | first9=Nava | title=Putin slams attacks on Iran, but offers no support to key ally | website=The Times of Israel | date=2025-06-23 | url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/putin-slams-attacks-on-iran-but-offers-no-support-to-key-ally/ | access-date=2025-06-24}}</ref> Kremlin spokesman [[Dmitry Peskov]] noted that Moscow had offered to mediate but emphasized that further action would depend on Iran’s needs.<ref name = puttel/> The visit underscored the strength, but also the boundaries, of Iran’s partnerships, as Russia’s backing appeared confined to diplomacy.<ref>{{cite web | title=Iran's top diplomat visits Russia as Israel hits Iranian domestic security institutions | website=Amwaj.media | date=2025-06-17 | url=https://amwaj.media/en/media-monitor/iran-s-top-diplomat-visits-russia-as-israel-hits-iranian-domestic-security-instit | access-date=2025-06-24}}</ref>

===Trade===
[[File:CSTO and SCO.png|thumb|Iran is a [[CSTO]] candidate]]
Russia and Iran also share a common interest in limiting the political influence of the United States in Central Asia. This common interest has led the [[Shanghai Cooperation Organisation]] (SCO) to extend to Iran as observer status in 2005, and offer full membership in 2006. The Iranians attained full membership status on 17 September 2021.<ref name="ensco">{{cite news |title=CSTO, SCO summits presage policy of wary tolerance of Taliban regime in Afghanistan |url=https://eurasianet.org/csto-sco-summits-presage-policy-of-wary-tolerance-of-taliban-regime-in-afghanistan |publisher=Eurasianet |date=17 September 2021}}</ref> Moscow and Beijing supported Tehran's successful bid for full membership in the SCO.<ref name=":0"/>

Iran and Russia have co-founded the [[Gas Exporting Countries Forum]] along with [[Qatar]].{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

In addition to their trade and cooperation in hydrocarbons, Iran and Russia have also expanded trade ties in many non-energy sectors of the economy, including a large agriculture agreement in January 2009 and a telecommunications contract in December 2008.<ref name='IR'>{{cite web|url=http://tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=213679|title=Tehran Times|date=3 February 2010|access-date=20 April 2016}}</ref> In July 2010, Iran and Russia signed an agreement to increase their cooperation in developing their energy sectors. Features of the agreement include the establishment of a joint oil exchange, which with a combined production of up to 15 million barrels of oil per day has the potential to become a leading market globally.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.turquoisepartners.com/iraninvestment/IIM-Aug10.pdf |title=Iran Investment Monthly Aug 2010.pdf |website=Turquoisepartners.com |access-date=2016-10-22 |archive-date=2012-01-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123035345/http://www.turquoisepartners.com/iraninvestment/IIM-Aug10.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Gazprom]] and [[Lukoil]] have become increasingly involved in the development of [[Petroleum industry in Iran|Iranian oil and gas projects]].

In 2005, Russia was the seventh largest trading partner of Iran, with 5.33% of all exports to Iran originating from Russia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.payvand.com/news/06/may/1046.html |title=The Cost of Economic Sanctions on Major Exporters to Iran |website=Payvand.com |access-date=2016-10-22 |archive-date=9 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709163548/http://www.payvand.com/news/06/may/1046.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Trade relations between the two increased from US$1 billion in 2005 to $3.7 billion in 2008.<ref name='IR'/> Motor vehicles, fruits, vegetables, glass, textiles, plastics, chemicals, hand-woven carpet, stone and plaster products were among the main Iranian non-oil goods exported to Russia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iran-daily.com/1388/3414/html/economy.htm#s383292|title=Economy  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115184432/http://www.iran-daily.com/1388/3414/html/economy.htm#s383292  |url-status=dead  |archive-date=2021-01-15  |access-date=2009-06-07 }}</ref>

In 2014, relations between Russia and Iran increased as both countries are under U.S. sanctions and were seeking new trade partners. The two countries signed a historic US$20 billion [[oil for goods]] deal in August 2014.<ref name=vpdt>{{cite news|title=Vladimir Putin signs historic $20bn oil deal with Iran to bypass Western sanctions |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/11014604/Vladimir-Putin-signs-historic-20bn-oil-deal-with-Iran-to-bypass-Western-sanctions.html|access-date=7 August 2014|date=2014-08-06|last1=Trotman|first1=Andrew |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] }}</ref><ref name=rinbc>{{cite web|title=Russia and Iran strike oil agreement|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2014/08/06/russia-and-iran-strike-oil-for-food-agreement.html|website=[[CNBC.com]]|access-date=7 August 2014|date=2014-08-06}}</ref><ref name=jsir>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-russia-oil-idUSBREA311K520140402|title=Iran, Russia working to seal $20 billion oil-for-goods deal: sources|author=Jonathan Saul and Parisa Hafezi|date=2 April 2014|work=Reuters|access-date=20 April 2016}}</ref>

In 2021, trade between the nations rose 81% to a record $3.3 billion.<ref name=ribbg/>

Former Iranian president [[Ebrahim Raisi]], who was elected in 2021, seemed to prioritize trade with Russia.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=What next for Iran and Russia ties after Raisi-Putin meeting?|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/21/what-next-for-iran-and-russia-ties-after-raisi-putin-meeting|work=Al Jazeera|date=21 January 2022|access-date=3 March 2022}}</ref> In early 2022, Ebrahim Raisi traveled to Russia at the invitation of his Russian counterpart. He handed over Iran's proposed draft for a 20-year cooperation agreement between Iran and Russia during his trip.<ref name=":0"/>

With the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 by Russia, the U.S. and other nations have imposed sanctions on Russia.<ref name="bbcsanc">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60125659|title=What are the sanctions on Russia and are they hurting its economy?|work=BBC News |date=Sep 30, 2022|access-date=Oct 20, 2022}}</ref> In the opinion of at least one Western writer, in order to evade sanctions, Iran and Russia could be working together to create a "clandestine banking and finance system to handle tens of billions of dollars in annual trade banned under U.S. led sanctions."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zweig |first=Mark Dubowitz and Matthew |date=2022-04-05 |title=Opinion {{!}} Iran's Master Class in Evading Sanctions |language=en-US |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/iran-evading-sanctions-russia-putin-moscow-tehran-banking-system-ukraine-invasion-terrorism-human-rights-nuclear-deal-jcpoa-11649171567 |access-date=2022-04-11 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref>

On 20 March 2022 it was reported that Iran, in the person of Agriculture Minister [[Javad Sadatinejad]], had signed a deal in Moscow with Russia to import 20 million tons of basic goods including vegetable oil, wheat, barley and corn.<ref name="ag2022">{{cite news |title=Iran Signs Deal With Russia To Import 20 Million Tons Of Basic Goods |url=https://www.iranintl.com/en/202203209997 |publisher=Volant Media UK Limited |date=20 March 2022}}</ref> The available trade data shows a balance of trade in favor of Russia, but does not include military gear totals.<ref>Bazoobandi, Sara, and Olena Osypenkova. Expansion of the Russo–Iranian Nexus. German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA), 2024. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep63983 JSTOR website] Retrieved 14 Apr. 2025.</ref>

In May 2022 Deputy Prime Minister [[Alexander Novak]] and Iranian Oil Minister [[Javad Owji]], joint co-chairs of the Russian-Iranian Intergovernmental Commission had a meeting in Tehran at which they discussed such items as oil swaps, increasing joint investments, a possible free trade zone, adding to the Russian-built [[Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant]], and developing the long-delayed [[North-South Transport Corridor]], a rail cargo route from all the way from Russia to India, among other items.<ref name="ribbg">{{cite news |title=Russia, Iran Tighten Trade Ties Amid US Sanctions |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-25/russia-iran-tighten-trade-ties-amid-us-sanctions-interfax-says |publisher=Bloomberg News |date=25 May 2022}}</ref>

[[Russian President]] [[Vladimir Putin]] visited Tehran on 19 July 2022 to meet with his Iranian counterpart [[Ebrahim Raisi]] and Turkey's [[Recep Tayyip Erdogan]]. The [[Turkish president]] was previously involved to mediate in the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|2022 Ukraine conflict]]. The three nations have been holding talks in recent years as part of the "Astana peace process" to end more than 11 years of [[civil war in Syria]]. Iran and the [[Russian Federation]] attempt to boost economic ties after being hit by [[International sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine|international sanctions]].<ref>[https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2022/07/12/putin-and-erdogan-will-visit-iran-for-summit-on-syria_5989862_4.html "Putin and Erdogan will visit Iran for summit on Syria"]. lemonde. Retrieved 14 July 2022.</ref>

In December 2022, Russia and Iran announced a new transcontinental trade route from the eastern edge of Europe to the [[Indian Ocean]]. The passage spans 3,000-kilometers and could be established beyond the reach of international sanctions. Russia and Iran share similar economic pressures amid sanctions – and both look east to integrate their growing economies.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia and Iran Are Building a Trade Route That Defies Sanctions |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2022-russia-iran-trade-corridor/?leadSource=uverify%20wall |website=bloomberg}}</ref>

In early February 2023, Tehran and Moscow announced they fully linked the Russian Financial Messaging System of the [[Bank of Russia]] ([[SPFS]]) with Iran's SEPAM national financial messaging service; both countries had been excluded from [[SWIFT]]. Bilateral economic ties had intensified since sanctions were placed on Russia after the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]], and chances for the revival of the [[JCPOA]] with [[Iran]] faded in late 2022. In 2022/23, Russia with US$2.7 billion is by far the largest investor in the sanctioned Iranian economy. As both countries face dramatically devalued currencies, Russia and Iran aim to link their payment system to larger economies such as [[India]] and [[China]].<ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/8/whats-behind-iran-and-russias-efforts-to-link-banking-systems "What’s behind Iran and Russia’s efforts to link banking systems?"] ''aljazeera''. Accessed 9 February 2023.</ref>

In May 2023, the US said that Iran and Russia are working to build more drones which will be used against Ukraine.<ref name="auto"/>

In June 2023, Iran's Transport Minister, Mehrdad Bazrpash, announced plans to create a joint shipping company with the Russian Federation. Iran places great emphasis on the importance of the Volga and Caspian Seas for trade with [[Russia]]. Both countries have reached a quadrilateral agreement with Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan regarding the transit of oil products and grain.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-06-19 |title= Iran and Russia want to unite the fleet |language=en |work=UKRAINIAN SHIPPING MAGAZINE |url=https://en.usm.media/iran-and-russia-want-to-unite-the-fleet/|access-date=2023-06-27}}</ref>

====Eurasian Economic Union====
{{main|Enlargement of the Eurasian Economic Union#Iran}}

As Iran and Russia economic and geo-political relations have improved over the years, Russia and the [[Eurasian Economic Union]] (EEU) have opted for Iran to join the EEU as well. Currently, only one EEU country, [[Armenia]], shares a land border with Iran, but the [[Caspian Sea]] provides a direct link between Iran and Russia.

Iran has expressed interest in joining the EEU.{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}} A meeting between [[Kazakhstan]] President [[Nursultan Nazarbayev]] and Iranian President [[Hassan Rouhani]] was held in 2015 to discuss the prospect of cooperation between the customs union and Iran. According to the Iranian Ambassador to Russia, [[Mehdi Sanaei]], Iran is focusing on signing an agreement with the EEU in 2015 regarding mutual trade and reduction of import tariffs to central Asian countries and trading in national currencies as part of the agreement rather than in US dollars.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://asbarez.com/131589/iran-seeks-trade-agreement-with-eurasian-union/ |title=Iran Seeks Trade Agreement with Eurasian Union |website=Asbarez.com |date=2015-02-06 |access-date=2016-10-22}}</ref>

In May 2015, the Union gave the initial go-ahead to signing a free trade agreement with Iran. [[Andrey Slepnev]], the Russian representative on the Eurasian Economic Commission board, described Iran as the EEU's "key partner in the Middle East" in an expert-level EEU meeting in [[Yerevan]].{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} [[Viktor Khristenko]] furthermore noted that Iran is an important partner for all the EEU member states. He stated that "Cooperation between the EEU and Iran is an important area of our work in strengthening the economic stability of the region".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=246117|title=Tehran Times|date=14 April 2015|access-date=20 April 2016}}</ref>

In February 2023, an agreement was signed to connect the national messaging systems of Iranian and Russian banks. According to this agreement, 700 Russian banks can exchange financial messages with Iranian banks. Additionally, 106 non-Russian banks from 13 other countries have also connected to this messaging system and can exchange financial messages with Iranian banks.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.dw.com/fa-ir/اتصال-سامانههای-بانکی-ایران-و-روسیه-برای-دور-زدن-سوئیفت/a-64559337|title = سامانه‌های ارتباطی بانکی ایران و روسیه برای دور زدن سوئیفت| website=[[Deutsche Welle]] |trans-title = Iran and Russia's banking communication systems to bypass SWIFT|language = fa|access-date = 17 May 2025}}</ref>

===Islands in the Strait of Hormuz===
On 14 July 2023, the Russian Minister of Foreign Relations supported the UAE claim on islands in the [[Strait of Hormuz]] and used the term 'Arabian gulf' instead of [[Persian Gulf]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/12/iran-at-odds-with-allied-russia-after-moscow-backs-uae-in-island-dispute.html | title=Iran at odds with allied Russia after Moscow backs UAE in island dispute | website=[[CNBC]] | date=12 July 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://donya-e-eqtesad.com/بخش-%D8%B3%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-62/3984667-%D8%AD%D8%B1%DA%A9%D8%AA-%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA-%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AC%D9%87-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%87-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%B2%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%AE%D9%84%DB%8C%D8%AC-%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B3-%D8%B9%DA%A9%D8%B3|title=حرکت جنجالی اکانت وزارت خارجه روسیه به زبان عربی درباره خلیج فارس+عکس|date=7 August 2023|website=روزنامه دنیای اقتصاد|access-date=7 August 2023}}</ref>

In December 2023, Iran condemned further Russian statements in support of the UAE's claim.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.iranintl.com/en/202312217295 | title=Iran Irked by Russia Siding with UAE on Persian Gulf Islands | date=21 December 2023 }}</ref>

== Sanctions ==
Both [[Russia]] and [[Iran]] are subject to international sanctions, and each extended period of sanctions seems to improve the relationship between them. This, however, has changed somewhat following the imposition of sanctions against both Russia and Iran. Improving the countries’ respective ties with the [[United States]] proved more difficult than forging closer ties between Moscow and Tehran. Since March 2014, In response to Russia's [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|annexation of Crimea]] and the purposeful [[Russo-Ukrainian War|destabilization of Ukraine]], the [[European Union]], the U.S., and a number of other Western nations have gradually adopted restrictive sanctions against Russia. In retaliation, Russia imposed its own restrictions on Western nations, prohibiting the import of some food items. In November 2018, sanctions against Iran lifted by the [[Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action|JCPOA]] were entirely reinstated by the [[First presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]], which had [[United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action|pulled out]] of the deal earlier that year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ui.se/utrikesmagasinet/analyser/2019/november/the-russia-iran-relationship-in-a-sanction-era/|title=The Russia-Iran Relationship in a Sanctions Era|website=www.ui.se|access-date=Oct 20, 2022}}</ref> On January 17, 2025, both countries signed a [[Iranian–Russian Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership|strategic partnership treaty]] covering areas including politics, security, trade, transport and energy,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Russia and Iran presidents sign partnership treaty in Moscow |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/17/russia-and-iran-presidents-sign-partnership-treaty-in-moscow |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref> however, the treaty does not include any mutual defense provisions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-08 |title=Russia signals response to possible US attack on Iran |url=https://www.newsweek.com/russia-iran-attack-trump-nuclear-2056849 |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref>

== Polls ==
According to 2015 data from [[Pew Research Center]], 54% of Russians have a negative opinion of Iran, with 34% expressing a positive opinion.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Global Indicators Database|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/database/|access-date=2022-01-31|website=Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project|date=21 November 2011 |language=en-US}}</ref>  According to a 2013 [[BBC World Service]] poll, 86% of Russians view Iran's influence positively, with 10% expressing a negative view.<ref>[http://www.globescan.com/images/images/pressreleases/bbc2013_country_ratings/2013_country_rating_poll_bbc_globescan.pdf 2013 World Service Poll] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151010192245/http://www.globescan.com/images/images/pressreleases/bbc2013_country_ratings/2013_country_rating_poll_bbc_globescan.pdf |date=2015-10-10 }} ''[[BBC]]''</ref> A [[Gallup poll]] from the end of 2013 showed Iran ranked as sixth greatest threat to peace in the world according to Russian view (3%), after United States (54%), China (6%), Iraq (5%), and Syria (5%).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wingia.com/web/files/news/126/file/126.pdf|title=End of year 2013 : Russia|website=Wingia.com|access-date=2016-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065504/http://www.wingia.com/web/files/news/126/file/126.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}}</ref>
According to a December 2018 survey by IranPoll, 63.8% of Iranians have a favorable view of Russia, with 34.5% expressing an unfavorable view.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iranpoll.com/publications/state2018|title=State of Iran Survey Series|publisher=IranPoll|date=February 8, 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Iran|Russia}}

*[[Non-Aligned Movement]]
*[[Russo-Persian Wars]]
*[[Russians in Iran]]
*[[Khomeini's letter to Mikhail Gorbachev]]
*[[Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov)]]
*[[List of ambassadors of Russia to Iran]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Sources and further reading==
* Atkin, Muriel. ''Russia and Iran 1780 - 1828'' (U of Minnesota Press, 1980)
* {{cite encyclopedia | article = Banking | last1 = Basseer | first1 = P. | last2 = Clawson | first2 = P. | last3 = Floor | first3 = W. | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/banking-in-iran#pt1 | encyclopedia  = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. III, Fasc. 7 | pages = 698–709 | year = 1988 }}
* Blake, Kristen. ''The U.S.-Soviet confrontation in Iran, 1945-1962: a case in the annals of the Cold War'' (University Press of America, 2009).
* Cronin, Stephanie. ''Iranian-Russian Encounters: Empires and Revolutions Since 1800''. Routledge, 2013. {{ISBN|978-0415624336}}.
* {{cite journal |last1=Deutschmann |first1=Moritz |title='All Rulers are Brothers': Russian Relations with the Iranian Monarchy in the Nineteenth Century |journal=Iranian Studies |date=2013 |volume=46 |issue=3 |pages=383–413 |doi=10.1080/00210862.2012.759334|s2cid=143785614 }}
* Deutschmann, Moritz. ''Iran and Russian Imperialism: The Ideal Anarchists, 1800-1914''. Routledge, 2015. {{ISBN|978-1138937017}}.
* Esfandiary, Dina, and Ariane Tabatabai, eds. ''Triple Axis: Iran's Relations with Russia and China'' (I. B. Tauris, 2018). 256 pages.
* {{cite book | last1 = Fisher | first1 = William Bayne | last2 = Avery | first2= P. | last3 = Hambly | first3 = G. R. G | last4 = Melville | first4 = C. | title = The Cambridge History of Iran | volume = 7 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=H20Xt157iYUC&q=agha+muhammad+khan+invade+georgia | publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]] | location = Cambridge | year = 1991 | isbn = 0521200954 }}
* Geranmayeh, Ellie. "The Newest Power Couple: Iran and Russia Band Together to Support Assad" '' World Policy Journal'' (2016) 33#4 pp 84–88.
* {{cite book|last=Kazemzadeh|first=Firuz|chapter=Iranian relations with Russia and the Soviet Union, to 1921|title=The Cambridge History of Iran (Vol. 7)|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1991|isbn=978-0521200950| editor-given1 = Avery | editor-surname1 = Peter | editor-given2 = Gavin | editor-surname2 = Hambly | editor-given3 = Charles | editor-surname3 = Melville }}
*[[Firuz Kazemzadeh|Kazemzadeh, Firuz]], ''Russia and Britain in Persia, A study in Imperialism'', (1968) [https://archive.org/details/russiabritaininp0000kaze online]
* {{cite journal |last1=Nejad |first1=Kayhan A. |title=To break the feudal bonds: the Soviets, Reza Khan, and the Iranian left, 1921-25 |journal=Middle Eastern Studies |date=2021 |volume=57 |issue=5 |pages=758–776 |doi=10.1080/00263206.2021.1897578|s2cid=233524659 }}
* Raine, Fernande. "Stalin and the creation of the Azerbaijan democratic party in Iran, 1945." ''Cold war history'' 2.1 (2001): 1-38.
* Sefat Gol, Mansour, and Seyed Mehdi Hosseini Taghiabad. "From Attempts to Form a Coalition to Worsened Relations; Transformation in Iran and Russia Relations in the Seventeenth Century." ''Central Eurasia Studies'' 13.1 (2020): 91–116. [https://jcep.ut.ac.ir/article_77872.html?lang=en online]
* Shlapentokh, Dmitry. "Russian elite image of Iran: From the late Soviet era to the present" (Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College, 2009) [https://books.google.com/books?id=l5yjR7KROYUC online].
* Sicker, Martin. ''The Bear and the Lion: Soviet Imperialism and Iran'' (Praeger, 1988).
* {{cite journal |last1=Ter-Abrahamian |first1=Hrant |title=On the Formation of the National Identity of the Talishis in Azerbaijan Republic |journal=Iran and the Caucasus|publisher=Brill |date=2005 |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=121–144 |doi=10.1163/1573384054068132}}
* {{cite thesis |last1=Therme |first1=Clément |title=Les relations entre Téhéran et Moscou depuis 1979 |date=2012 |doi=10.4000/books.iheid.902 |isbn=978-2-940415-94-6 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=ولی زاده |first1=اکبر |last2=صالحی |first2=محمد رضا |title=مؤلفه‌‌‌‌های تأثیرگذار بر همکاری امنیتی ایران و روسیه در آسیای مرکزی |trans-title=Effective Components within Iran-Russia Security Cooperation in Central Asia |language=ar |journal=مطالعات اوراسیای مرکزی |date=March 2020 |volume=13 |issue=1 |doi=10.22059/JCEP.2020.295455.449889 }}
* Volkov, Denis V. ''Russia’s Turn to Persia: Orientalism in Diplomacy and Intelligence'' (Cambridge UP, 2018)
* Whigham, Henry James. ''The Persian problem: an examination of the rival positions of Russia and Great Britain in Persia with some account of the Persian Gulf and the Bagdad Railway'' (1903) [https://books.google.com/books?id=TLkfAAAAMAAJ&dq=%27%27Russia+and+Britain+in+Persia,&pg=PR1 online].
* Zubok, Vladislav M.  "[https://academic.oup.com/dh/article-abstract/44/1/22/5613851?redirectedFrom=fulltext Stalin, Soviet Intelligence, and the Struggle for Iran, 1945–53]." ''Diplomatic History'' 44#1 (2020) pp.&nbsp;22–46

===2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine===
*{{cite web|url=https://theconversation.com/ukraine-war-what-new-missiles-is-iran-providing-to-russia-and-what-difference-will-they-make-193809|title=Ukraine war: what new missiles is Iran providing to Russia and what difference will they make?|work=Daniel Salisbury|date=3 November 2022 |publisher=The Conversation}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/iran-may-preparing-arm-russia-short-range-ballistic-missiles-rcna55101|title=Iran may be preparing to arm Russia with short-range ballistic missiles|work=Josh Lederman and Courtney Kube|date=November 2022 |publisher=NBC News}}
*{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/26/europe/iran-russia-shipments-caspian-sea-intl-cmd/index.html|title=Iran has a direct route to send Russia weapons – and Western powers can do little to stop the shipments|work=Lauren Kent and Salma Abdelaziz|date=26 May 2023 |publisher=CNN}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/29/politics/russia-iranian-drones/index.html|title=US assesses Russia now in possession of Iranian drones, sources say|work=Natasha Bertrand|date=30 August 2022 |publisher=CNN}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/kyiv-calls-for-liquidation-of-iranian-plants-building-weapons-for-russia/|title=Kyiv calls for 'liquidation' of Iranian plants building weapons for Russia|publisher=Times of Israel}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauliddon/2023/01/08/iran-might-be-waiting-until-october-to-supply-russia-deadlier-drones-and-missiles-for-ukraine/|title=Iran Might Be Waiting Until October To Supply Russia Deadlier Drones And Missiles For Ukraine|work=Paul Iddon|publisher=Forbes}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/iranian-weapons-ukraine-russia-invasion-putin-1234698738/|title=Iranian Weapons Are Now Being Used on Both Sides of the Ukraine War|work=Adam Rawnsley, Asawin Suebsaeng|date=17 March 2023 |publisher=Rolling Stone}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* [https://russia.mfa.gov.ir/ru Embassy of Iran in Russia Official website]
* [https://iran.mid.ru/en/ Embassy of Russia in Iran Official website]
* [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/russia-i-relations; ''RUSSIA i. Russo-Iranian Relations up to the Bolshevik Revolution.''] 
* [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/russia-iii-iranian-relations-post-soviet; RUSSIA iii. Russo-Iranian Relations in the Post-Soviet Era (1991–present)] 
* [http://hdl.handle.net/10822/552678 Gorbachev and Iran] from the [https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/552494 Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives] 
* [http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/1185.cfm World Press Review: Bear Hugs, Iran-Russian relations]
* [http://www.mideastmonitor.org/issues/0907/0907_5.htm Russian-Iranian Relations: Functional Dysfunction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100201081721/http://www.mideastmonitor.org/issues/0907/0907_5.htm |date=2010-02-01 }}

{{Iran–Russia relations}}
{{Foreign relations of Iran}}
{{Foreign relations of Russia|Asia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iran-Russia relations}}
[[Category:Iran–Russia relations| ]]
[[Category:Bilateral relations of Iran|Russia]]
[[Category:Bilateral relations of Russia]]