Iran’s newly-elected President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed his commitment to strengthening ties with Russia, calling Moscow a “valued strategic partner. In an article published by the Tehran Times last Friday, Mr. Pezeshkian outlined his foreign policy priorities and emphasised that “Russia is a valued strategic ally and neighbor to Iran and my administration will remain committed to expanding and enhancing our cooperation.
Pezeshkian’s government plans to prioritize relations with Russia both on a bilateral level and as part of international organisations such as BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and Eurasian Economic Union. He also expressed his administration’s active support for efforts to end the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The Iranian president-elect highlighted that China and Russia have consistently supported Tehran during challenging times, noting their strong friendship. Mr. Pezeshkian won the recent presidential election with 53.7% of the vote, beating his rival Saeed Jalili who secured 44.3. The snap poll was held following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May.
During his meeting with Iranian lawmakers at the tenth BRICS Parliamentary Forum in St Petersburg on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked that Moscow and Tehran have made considerable progress in their relations in recent years. He predicted that under Pezeshkian’s leadership, bilateral ties will continue to develop at a steady pace as they did under Mr Raisi.
In his article, Mr. Pezeshkian also discussed Iran’s relationship with Europe and the United States. Regarding European relations, he acknowledged their ups and downs and expressed hope for engaging in constructive dialogue based on mutual respect and equal footing. As for ties with the US, Mr. Pezeshkian stressed that Washington needs to recognize the reality and understand once and for all that Iran does not and will not respond to pressure.