Iran does not recognise Crimea and Donbas as Russian

Iran continues not to recognise Crimea, as well as the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as part of the Russian Federation. This principle remains significant in the context of bilateral relations between Tehran and Moscow, despite the imminent signing of a new treaty.

Signing of a new treaty between Russia and Iran

Soon, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian plan to sign a comprehensive partnership agreement, which will regulate bilateral relations for the next 20 years. 

A key point is the fact that the treaty will not include the recognition of Crimea and other occupied territories of Ukraine as part of Russia. This is reported by Middle East Eye.

Key provisions of the agreement

One of the most significant clauses of the agreement concerns territorial integrity, which is particularly important for Iran in the context of its dispute with the United Arab Emirates over three islands in the Persian Gulf. These islands have been under Tehran's control since 1971, and the question of their sovereignty remains open.

The document covers 47 articles, encompassing various areas of cooperation, including technology and cybersecurity, peaceful nuclear energy, counter-terrorism and organised crime, environmental protection, and anti-money laundering. 

Also, despite shared defence interests, details of joint initiatives in the military sphere will be agreed upon later, a source in the Iranian government reports.

Prohibition of supporting aggressors

An important condition of the agreement is a clause prohibiting both parties from supporting aggressors, as well as providing their territory for attacks on one of the parties. This condition underscores Iran's desire to avoid involvement in conflicts with other countries.

Cooperation against sanctions

Iran and Russia have also agreed to jointly counter "illegal extraterritorial sanctions", including US secondary sanctions. They plan to support each other on international platforms.

 However, as an Iranian analyst noted, potential difficulties may arise if the UN Security Council, where Russia is a permanent member, decides to reinstate sanctions against Iran. 

This could happen if European countries decide to restore restrictions under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was signed in 2015.

A long road to the agreement

The draft treaty was finalised after "20-30 rounds of negotiations", which lasted about four to five years, one senior Iranian official said. For the agreement to enter into force, it must be ratified by the Iranian parliament.