Alwaght- Amid the inflamed tensions in the region after the Israeli aggressive actions in Beirut and Tehran and assassination of resistance officials that drew threats of response from Iran and Hezbollah, the Russian National Security Council chief General Sergei Shoigu visited Tehran on Tuesday heading a high-ranking delegation and met with senior political and military officials.
The regional and international media outlets made speculations on the agenda of the Russian security official in Tehran, with many political observers linking his visit to Iran to the current developments in the region.
Given the significance of the visit, Alwaght talked to Javad Masoumi, an expert of strategic affairs.
Russian message of work with new Iranian government
Referring to the simultaneity of inauguration of the new Iranian president and visit of Shoigu, Mr Masoumi said that it is a message of continuation of strategic cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation. He held that the aim of this visit is to boost the level of interaction and to discuss the regional and international issues, as well as bilateral defense and military relations.
According to this expert, having in mind that the security councils of the countries are sovereign institutions and have various responsibilities in the fields of political, security, economic, cultural, social and military issues, these trips are very important and strengthen political, economic, security and military relations of two countries. The expansion of relations takes place at a time when the world has shifted from a unipolar order to a multipolar one with effective big powers such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation, and the People's Republic of China emerging as new powers. Therefore, the tripartite cooperation between Iran, Russia, and China is essential and inevitable in fighting the unilateralism of the US.
Mr Masoumi noted that another important point is that visit of Shoigu comes at a time the new government in Iran is just formed and the meeting of the Russian official is seen as highly significant, and the high-ranking negotiations will defenitely have substantial influence on various fields.
The expert highlighed the two nations' push to strengthen their bilateral strategic tries, adding that Iran's Supreme National Security Council is seriously pursuing the facilitation of Iranian-Russian relations in security, intelligence, defense, military, culture, politics, and economy. In other words, today what is planned in the Supreme National Security Council is followed up quickly. The reason for this serious pursuit is that the two countries can achieve a strategic cooperation model faster. Based on this, the two institutions that are at the highest level of the two countries took this responsibility and this shows the importance of deepening the relations between Tehran and Moscow based on the general policies of the Islamic Republic and the Seventh Development Plan.
Russia backing Axis of Resistance in regional issues
In another part of his comments, Mr Masoumi said that Shoigu's agenda is to bolster regional coordination between Tehran and Moscow. He added that in the current conditions that international developments are fast heading to disorder because of Israeli and Western actions, the Iranian-Russian security and political convergence at various levels is considerable.
Today, the Russian Federation supports the Resistance camp in United Nations Security Council, which is very valuable, and also Russia stands up against the hostile policies of the United States against the Resistance front in the meetings of the Security Council. For example, after the operation carried out by the Israeli regime in Yemen's Hudaydah, Russia strongly condemned this action of the Israelis, and on the other hand, the actions of Ansarullah in Yemen were presented as an act of self-defense. Also, the special support provided by the Russian Federation to the oppressed Palestinian nation, the Hamas movement and Hezbollah are measures that are exactly in line with the common vision of Iran and Russia, and this special and prominent role of the Russian Federation is unprecedented in the current world situation.
This expert further considered the deepening of the tripartite cooperation between Iran, Russia and China in security as very significant, adding that this tripartite cooperation is important because the US and its allies, especially England, France and the Israeli regime, are trying to stir military and security crisis in our vicinity especially in Afghanistan, South Caucasus, and Central Asia.
He further held that given the mentioned conditions, presence of an experienced security general who heads such an important institution as the national security council bears a clear message of Iranian-Russian convergence in the face of the US and Israeli regime, and the talks with the new Iranian president and Supreme National Security Council bears witness to designing a highly important model of partnership.
Commenting on the Russian foreign policy regarding Gaza and regional crises, Mr Masoumi held that concerning the Israeli crimes in Gaza, Russia has taken the best possible stance both in the Security Council, the General Assembly, and the multilateral and bilateral discussions. In other words, Moscow looked at the matter and Israeli crimes from a totally humanitarian aspect, and made its best effort for a ceasefire, completely contrary to the US, Israel, France, Britain, and Germany that hold a hostile stance.
Another important issue is that Russian representatives in the Security Council clashed verbally with the American and European counterparts, and even when the NATO sent arms aids to Tel Aviv, the Russian UN envoy openly in the Security Council announced that the West is taking warmongering steps. Further, the Russian envoy defended the rights of the Palestinian resistance and described Hamas actions as a legitimate defense against the occupation.
