TEHRAN: Iran’s parliament approved a 20-year strategic partnership on Wednesday between Moscow and Teh-ran, state media reported. The agreement represents a deepening of bilateral ties, including closer defence cooperation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian signed the strategic partnership document on January 17.
The Russian legislative branch approved the pact in April. While the agreement does not include a mu-tual defence clause, it says both countries will work together against common military threats, develop their military-technical cooperation, and take part in joint exercises.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, Iran and Russia have deepened military ties, with Western countries accusing Iran of providing missiles and drones for Russian attacks on Ukraine. Tehran denies providing weapons for Russian use in Ukraine.
The strategic pact also includes several clauses aimed at boosting economic partnership, notably by strengthening direct interbank cooperation and promoting their national financial products.
A free trade deal between Iran and the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union went into effect last week, cutting down tariffs to boost trade between the two economies, which are both under heavy Western sanctions.
Earlier, New intelligence obtained by the United States suggests that Israel is making preparations to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, media reported on Tuesday, citing multiple US officials familiar with the intelligence.
It was not clear whether Israeli leaders have made a final decision and there was disagreement within the US government about whether the Israelis would ultimately decide to carry out strikes, media added, citing the officials.
Media could not immediately confirm the report, which contributed to a rise in oil prices by more than 1% on concern such a strike might upset Iranian flows. The National Security Council did not immedi-ately respond to a request for comment.
The Israeli Embassy in Washington, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and the Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
One source familiar with the intelligence told MEDIA the likelihood of an Israeli strike on an Iranian nu-clear facility “has gone up significantly in recent months.”
The person added that the chance of a strike would be more likely if the US reached a deal with Iran that did not remove all of the country’s uranium, media added.
President Donald Trump’s administration has been conducting negotiations with Iran aimed at achiev-ing a diplomatic deal over its nuclear program.
The new intelligence was based on the public and private communications from senior Israeli officials as well as intercepted Israeli communications and observations of Israeli military movements that could suggest an imminent strike, media reported.
Media cited two sources saying that among the military preparations the US had observed were the movement of air munitions and the completion of an air exercise.
Earlier on Tuesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said US demands that Tehran stop enriching uranium are “excessive and outrageous,” state media reported, voicing doubts over wheth-er talks on a new nuclear deal will succeed. –Agencies
