Putin arrived in Iran Tuesday, ostensibly for a meeting among the Astana Group (Iran, Russia, Turkey), but the evidence points to a much larger shift underway. This was the fourth time Putin has visited Iran in seven years, and as Iran has been isolated from the Western-dominated financial system for decades, it is only natural that the two develop stronger relations now that Russia has become a victim of the same kind of sanctions. This does not necessarily draw two nations together in and of itself, but the two leaders clearly referenced this during their meetings, clearly pointing in the direction of a potential friendship for nations wishing to be sovereign.
Putin met with Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Khamenei, and, according to Iran’s Press TV, “Ayatollah Khamenei stated that Western countries resolutely oppose a strong and independent Russia, adding that if NATO had not been stopped in Ukraine, it would have started the same war using Crimea as a pretext.” Further he said, “the US and West have become weaker than before, adding that despite great efforts and spending, ‘their policies in regional countries, including Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine, are being less effective,’” the article states.
A common theme in the visit was the growing economic and trade relations, epitomized by the mammoth gas and oil deal signed between the two presidents (see separate report). Khamenei spoke about the importance of the oil and gas agreement, finishing the North-South-Transport-Corridor rail project, and his view that the US dollar “should be gradually removed from global transactions.”
