Despite President Ebrahim Raisi’s untimely death, Moscow expressed its intention to maintain and strengthen its growing ties with Tehran when Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Iran’s new interim leader over the phone on Monday.
According to the Kremlin, Putin sent his sympathies to the Iranian people as a whole and to interim president Mohammad Mokhber for Raisi’s passing in a helicopter accident. Raisi was described as a “reliable partner who made an invaluable personal contribution” to bilateral relations.
The Kremlin’s transcript of the Putin-Mokhber call stated, “Both sides emphasised their mutual desire to further consistently strengthen comprehensive Russian-Iranian interaction for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries.”
The secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, was quoted by state news agency RIA as suggesting that Moscow may help Iran with its crash inquiry.
Russia has taken steps to fortify its military, commercial, and political links with Iran since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, a developing partnership that the US and Israel find concerning.
A new interstate treaty that reflected the “unprecedented upswing” in Russia-Iran ties was said to be finalized in January by the Russian Foreign Ministry, and Putin and Raisi were scheduled to sign it shortly.
According to the Kremlin website, Putin spoke with Raisi over the phone in March and April and in person for five hours in December.
Similar to North Korea, whose leader Kim Jong Un hosted Putin in the far east of Russia in September of last year, Iran is an openly declared opponent of the United States and can supply Moscow with military equipment for its conflict in Ukraine, where Moscow has heavily utilized Iranian drones.
According to state news agency RIA, Moscow expects all agreements with Iran to be carried out, as stated by Russia’s deputy foreign minister on Monday.
Following the news of the helicopter accident, the Kremlin reported that Putin held a conversation with the Iranian ambassador to Moscow late on Sunday night.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, also received condolences from Putin.
In his telegraph, Putin stated, “Seyed Ebrahim Raisi was an outstanding politician whose entire life was devoted to serving the Motherland.”
