Reference news network quoted Iranian official media reports on the 19th that Russian President Putin has arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran, he will hold talks with Iranian President Lehi and other senior officials, and will participate in the Astana process summit of Russia, Turkey and Syria.
Putin infographic
This is Putin's second overseas visit since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on February 24, and it is also his first visit to a non-former Soviet union country. According to Red Star News, Putin's visit was only 2 days after US President Biden ended his trip to the Middle East.
In the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the "gunpowder flavor" of the two sides "competing with each other" is undoubtedly a bit strong. Therefore, compared with the previous trip to Central Asia, Putin's current visit to Iran and the attention of the outside world are undoubtedly "better".
Putin arrives in Tehran, the capital of Iran
Reference News Network quoted Iranian official media reports on the 19th that Russian President Putin has arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran to begin a working visit to Iran, and Putin will hold talks with Iranian President Lehi today and participate in the Astana Process summit aimed at promoting the settlement of the Syrian issue with Iranian and Turkish leaders.
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov
According to The Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, this meeting is very important and of practical significance, and is a good opportunity to discuss regional and international issues, and this visit is also Putin's first visit to areas outside the former Soviet Union in a period of time.
As Putin set off, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said in an interview with TASS that Moscow and Tehran are actively cooperating within a multilateral framework. Since 2022, the political and economic delegations of Russia and Iran have exchanged frequently. During this period, the leaders of the two countries also made many contacts, including phone calls and face-to-face meetings, "which shows the closeness of the comprehensive relationship between our two countries." In the future, major events will occur in bilateral relations. ”
Some analysts said that Putin's "rare foreign visit" is intended to show the world that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has not weakened Russia's position on the world stage. Not only that, Dmitry Trinin, a member of the Russian Foreign and Defense Policy Committee and director of the Moscow Carnegie Center, believes that the Middle East will undoubtedly play an important role in Russia's process of "shaping a new world order" at a time when western countries are increasingly sanctioned.
Hannah Noether, senior researcher at the Centre for Disarmament and Nuclear Non-Proliferation in Vienna, analyzed: "Russia is aware that there is no future with the West and that the situation is irreversible. Therefore, Russia has focused its future on the south. ”
Trenin also believes that Russia's relations with the West cannot be repaired in the short term, so the focus of diplomacy has shifted to non-Western countries, and the Middle East and North Africa undoubtedly occupy an important position in Russia's "new diplomatic map". Since Russia's high-profile return to the Middle East through its military intervention in Syria in 2015, the Middle East and North Africa region has been a key area in russia's "post-Soviet foreign policy" composition and the most successful region.
Trenin also said that the direction of Putin's overseas visit shows that "he now sees the necessity and opportunity of Russian diplomacy."
Three Russian military transport planes opened the road first
Just a day before Putin's departure, three Russian Air Force Il-76 transport planes arrived in Tehran, the Capital of Iran, as the first force. According to global aeronautical system data, three Russian Il-76 transport aircraft numbered RA-78838, RA-76669 and RA-78818 landed at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran.
Il-76 transport aircraft (infographic)
It is reported that these three transport planes are members of the 224th Special Flight Detachment (An-124-100) of the Russian Air force, and according to the law, the purpose of their trip is to transport security equipment and other security equipment to Iran in advance before the Russian presidential plane arrives in Iran. At the same time, the United States speculated that "the Russian Il-76 transport aircraft flew to Iran in order to transport armed drones back to Russia." ”
The 224th Special Aviation Detachment is reportedly a state-owned company authorized by the Russian Air Force. According to its official website, the company's main customers are the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, the Russian Special Flying Forces and the Russian Defense Export Corporation. In other words, its main business is to support the transportation of cars and safety equipment for Russian President Vladimir Putin's overseas state visit, as well as the delivery of Russian arms imports and exports.
In addition to the above three transport planes that opened the way for Putin's visit, some aviation enthusiasts also shared a message on social networking sites, on July 17, a Russian Air Force An-148 transport aircraft numbered RA-61718 was suspected to carry a Russian delegation from Tehran to the southern Russian city of Mozdok. It is reported that Mozdok, located in the Russian Republic of North Ossetia, is an important military center in the Caucasus region.
Satellite imagery of Iran's Kashan Air Base released by the United States
Just a day before Putin left for Iran, the Pentagon-backed AMERICAN Star-Spangled Banner newspaper disclosed a message on the 16th, saying that the US intelligence department found through surveillance that the Russian delegation visited the Iranian Kashan Air Base twice in a month to check the drones they were considering purchasing for the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The White House provided a statement to the media, which included relevant satellite imagery and said that the Russian side censored the Witness-191 and Witness-129 drones.
On the 17th, Another US official broke the news that Iran is preparing to provide up to 300 drones to Russia, and may begin training Russian troops on how to use these aircraft as early as July. Previously, both Russia and Ukraine have denied relevant reports.
Russia and Iraq have made frequent moves
However, Russia's "big moves" do not stop there. Just one day before Putin's trip to Iran officially began, on the 18th local time, Peskov announced that Russia and Iran would give up the US dollar in bilateral transactions.
Peskov said Moscow and Tehran were reliable friends and partners. He said the two countries would gradually abandon the practice of using dollars to assess the volume of bilateral trade. "We all know that the total trade and economy between the two countries exceeded $4 billion last year, although it may be wrong to calculate (this figure) in dollars, and over time, as our cooperation in the banking and financial sector develops, we may abandon this practice." He said in an interview with Iran's national radio station.
Russian presidential press secretary Peskov said Russia would gradually abandon the use of dollars in future trade with Iran
Peskov also added that trade trends between Russia and Iran have been positive over the past few months. He believes that Russia and Iran have the opportunity to establish cooperation to mitigate the impact of sanctions.
Not only that, Peskov also revealed that the comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement between Russia and Iran will be signed shortly after the approval and revision. The analysis said that under the current international situation, Russia and Iran, which are also sanctioned by the West and have large oil and gas reserves, may continue to discuss the establishment of logistics centers. In the project of in-depth cooperation between the two countries, the "North-South International Transport Corridor" is undoubtedly one of the highlights.
According to Iranian local media reports, on July 15, the first container train transiting from Russia through India officially entered Iran through the Salahs crossing. This means that the eastern section of the North-South International Transport Corridor is officially launched. It is reported that the train is loaded with 39 containers, departed from Chekov Station in the Moscow region of Russia on June 27, entered Iran from the Salahes region in the northeast through Turkmenistan, and was recently transported to the Port of Shahidrajai in Iran through a 1600-kilometer railway, and then to India by sea.
Some analysts believe that at a time when Russia is facing "containment" by Western countries, Iran may be able to open up a key commercial route for it to solve the problem of transportation of oil exports under sanctions. At a time when the traditional Trade Routes between Russia and the European Union, the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea have been completely blocked, and with the arrival of the first transit train of the "North-South International Transport Corridor" to Iran, this corridor has undoubtedly become another "sword" for Russia to break through the Western blockade. Russia's efforts to break through the Western blockade with the help of Iran, India and other countries will also be further strengthened.
Red Star News reporter Xu Huan
Edited by Guo Yu
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