Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi is to meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Wednesday as the Islamic republic seeks to expand relations with Moscow and Beijing in order to better withstand political and economic pressure from the US.
The meeting in Moscow comes as Iranian diplomats negotiate with world powers in Vienna to help resurrect the 2015 nuclear deal, which collapsed after the US abandoned it in 2018. “This trip can be a turning point to help promote relations at all levels with Russia,” Raisi said on Wednesday before leaving Tehran.
“The Islamic republic of Iran is an independent and powerful country with influence in the region [Middle East]. So is Russia . . . We have common interests which can help strengthen security in the region and prevent unilateralism [by the US],” he added.