Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh met with his Russian counterpart in Moscow on Monday to discuss strengthening military ties as the two countries began a joint naval drill in the Caspian Sea.
Iranian state news agency IRNA quoted Tehran's ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali as saying that that the meeting between the defense chiefs focused on “reinforcing bilateral cooperation in the defense and military fields.”
The meeting comes after Moscow, an ally of Tehran, appeared to offer no material support to Iran during its 12-day conflict with Israel last month.
Iran and Russia began their three days of joint drills aimed at boosting maritime safety and regional cooperation, Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Tasnim News reported.
According to Tasnim, a Russian Navy vessel entered Iranian waters on Monday to take part in the exercise, codenamed CASAREX 2025, or
In May, Iran’s parliament approved a 20-year strategic partnership with Russia, signaling a further tightening of ties between the two countries in both defense and economic matters.
The agreement, initially signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on January 17, was ratified by Russia’s State Duma in April.
While the pact does not include a mutual defense clause, it commits both nations to enhanced military-technical cooperation, joint military exercises, and coordination in the face of what they define as shared security threats.
The launch of the joint military exercise follows a high-level political meeting held a day earlier in which Ali Larijani, advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
Larijani briefed Putin on the Iranian officials’ view regarding the crisis in the Middle East and developments related to Iran’s nuclear program, Russian state news agency RIA said citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
