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Russia, Iran strengthening mutual cooperation in all fields

Thursday, 15 December 2022 11:24 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 15 December 2022 11:24 AM ]

Marina Kortunova

Press TV, Moscow

Iran and Russia have enhanced their mutual cooperation over the past years, in defiance of Western sanctions, apparently worrying the West. In recent years, relations between the two countries have been developing in all areas, from trade to military deals. The outgoing year has, particularly, seen the strengthening of mutual cooperation in a number of strategic areas. Iran’s ambassador to Russia elaborated on that at a press conference in Moscow.

While the West is expanding sanctions against Moscow and Tehran over their military cooperation, the potential for developing relations between the two countries is huge, since Russia and Iran are under tough Western sanctions and therefore have little to fear.

At the press conference held in Moscow, Iran’s ambassador to Russia summed up the outcome of relations between Moscow and Tehran in 2022. He noted that Russia’s ruble is used in more than 40% of trade between the two countries, and that the Russian currency may become the main one in bilateral trade.

According to his remarks, Tehran supported the idea of using the ruble as the main currency in regional unions such as the EAEU. He also referred to efforts to integrate the national payment systems "Mir" and "Shetab" as part of financial and economic cooperation between Russia and Iran. According to the Iranian envoy, Russia and Iran are seeking to reduce the dominance of certain currencies, including the dollar, in bilateral trade and economic relations. Jalali further said the automotive industry and space sector have become another field of cooperation between the two countries. In August, Russia launched remote sensing satellite “Khayyam” into orbit on behalf of Iran.

Iran is investigating the possibility of producing cars jointly with Russia. Two leading automakers of the Islamic Republic, SAIPA and Iran Khodro, took part in last summer’s exhibition in Moscow and held negotiations with the Russian side. In addition to the joint production, the two countries are also discussing the possibility of sending Iranian cars to Russia.

Russian and Iranian officials have time and again said that the two countries are determined to further expand bilateral ties. They have expressed confidence that the aim will materialize, despite all the challenges the two nations might face, given the numerous capacities the two sides have.

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