'Major' Russia-Iran Deal In The Works As U.S. And Israel Look On With Concern

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday stated that Moscow and Tehran are speeding up work on a "major new interstate agreement." The announcement comes after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Monday.

The foreign ministers are said to have discussed their "bilateral cooperation [following] the extensive negotiations between the presidents of the two countries that took place in Moscow on December 7. It was agreed to speed up work on completing the approval of a new major interstate agreement."

According to the statement, the parties also addressed Israel's war against Hamas. The countries' top diplomats reportedly expressed their "shared concern over the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip" and emphasized "the importance of an immediate ceasefire and providing urgent assistance to the affected civilian population, as well as mobilizing the authority of the UN for these purposes."

The statement comes after a seeming shift in the Kremlin's stance on the Israel-Hamas war following a harsh phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

As a result, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Representative of Russia's President for the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov on Monday demanded that Hamas and other Palestinian groups immediately release all the hostages held in Gaza.

Additionally, Lavrov on Sunday said that Moscow had immediately condemned Hamas's terrorist attack on October 7, and it only maintains relations with the group's political wing in Doha.

It appears as though Russia's actual stance remains Iran-leaning. Iran's Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali called Russia's position on the Israel-Hamas war "decent," as reported earlier on the Kremlin-affiliated media outlet RT.

While the essence of the upcoming "major" deal is undisclosed, both parties seek strong strategic alliance and expansion of security and energy cooperation, given their relative isolation on the world stage and current geopolitical goals.

For Moscow, the main incentive has been the same for almost two years as intense fighting continues in Eastern Ukraine. Russia also remains present in Syria: earlier in November, its Aerospace Forces claimed killing 34 fighters of the Al-Nusra Front terrorist group near Idlib.

Meanwhile, for Tehran, whose proxies have intensified hostilities across the Middle East — with the Yemen-based Houthis hitting vessels in the Red Sea, Lebanon's Hezbollah launching attacks on northern Israel on a daily basis, and Iran-backed militants targeting U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria — now is a critical time to gain as much backing as possible.