The game of interests and sanctions... Why do the Russians underestimate the strategy of the relationship with Iran, and what are the obstacles between them?

Tehran -

In light of the Iranian side's classification of its relations with Russia as strategic, the latter refrains from using the term because it does not believe that the relations between them have advanced to the highest levels, and that the mere signing of joint cooperation agreements in Syria does not mean that the relations between them have reached a strategic alliance.

In this context, the Iranian Persian-language newspaper "Esknas" published an article entitled "The Complexity in Iranian-Russian Relations" by the writer and political researcher Hassan Beheshti Pour.

He paused in front of the divergence of views of both Tehran and Moscow regarding the nature of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Referring to the positive role that Moscow played in reaching the nuclear agreement in 2015, the writer confirms that the Russians invested in the Bushehr nuclear facilities and contributed to the development of the Iranian nuclear program.

However, he added that nuclear cooperation between them will continue as long as Tehran is committed not to move towards the militarization of its program, because Moscow and Beijing will consider a nuclear Iran a direct threat to their national security.

The majority of Iranians believe that Russia is obstructing negotiations to return to the nuclear agreement (Anatolia)

The war on Ukraine

Regarding Moscow's role in the negotiations aimed at saving the nuclear agreement, the researcher believes that the majority of Iranian public opinion accuses the Russians of obstructing the Vienna negotiations, even though Russia did not oppose saving the nuclear agreement even before the Western sanctions imposed on it following the attack on Ukraine.

Following the return of US sanctions on Tehran following former US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement in 2018, Russian and Chinese companies were the first to leave the Iranian market in order to ensure their interests and were forced to choose between the Islamic Republic and the United States of America.

The newspaper calls for a separation between the Russian position on the nuclear negotiations before and after the war on Ukraine, explaining that Moscow did not and will not want to revive the nuclear agreement at the current stage, so that the agreement does not facilitate Tehran's accession to the global energy market.

The writer believes that Iranian-Russian relations have not yet reached a strategic alliance, stressing that trade exchanges between the two countries have not reached two billion dollars, not to mention that their relations on various security, defense and political levels are not at the highest levels.

Many obstacles

According to the newspaper;

The Iranians classify their relations with the Russians as strategic, while the opposite side has not used the term once so far, because it does not believe that the relations between them have advanced to this level, explaining that the mere signing of agreements and the cooperation of the two countries in Syria does not mean that the relations between them have reached a strategic alliance.

The writer believes that there are many obstacles that prevent Iranian-Russian relations from reaching the strategic alliance stage.

Perhaps the Russian government's political framework is at the top of the list.

As for Western sanctions against Tehran, they come in second place.

As it causes the emergence of many challenges at the international level for every country that wants to establish relations with the Islamic Republic, according to Beheshti Pour, who believes that the chances of strategic relations are completely non-existent in light of the foreign sanctions imposed on Tehran.

The Iranian writer urges the concerned authorities in his country to work towards lifting the sanctions and establishing broad relations with other countries.