IRAN MAKES STRIDES IN TAJIKISTAN...
After years of tense relations, Iran and Tajikistan have signed 23 joint agreements, signifying a political turning point for Tehran and Dushanbe. The new arrangements, inked during Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's mid-January visit to the Central Asian state, cover sectors such as transportation, technology, education, healthcare, and trade. A key initiative in this regard is a new transport agreement that is designed to enhance Tajikistan's access to maritime trade routes – by giving the government of Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon access to Iran's strategic Chabahar port. Future plans involve extensive industrial development and technological collaboration, based on Pezeshkian's pledge that the two countries have "no limitations on expanding relations and cooperation in scientific, commercial, industrial, technological and agricultural fields." (IntelliNews, January 16, 2025)
...AS TEHRAN AND MOSCOW INCH EVER CLOSER
Tajikistan is not the only country that the Islamic Republic is courting. Pezeshkian's January tour also took him to Moscow, where he concluded a "comprehensive strategic joint agreement" with Russian President Vladimir Putin further tightening the already-robust strategic bonds between Moscow and Tehran. The 20-year pact, the text of which was promoted via Iranian state media, includes pledges to "strengthen cooperation in the field of security and defence" and to "closely coordinate activities at the regional and global levels." The agreement also includes a commitment to closer intelligence sharing, as well as a raft of new military contacts, among them the "training of military personnel... [and the] exchange of cadets and instructors," as well as "joint maritime relief and rescue operations" and anti-piracy drills.
The new Russo-Iranian accord is only the most public indicator of the vibrant ties between the two countries. Cooperation also extends to clandestine nuclear work, a leading British paper has laid out. Citing Western intelligence sources, the Times of London reports that "Iran has been sending secret diplomatic missions to Russia to seek assistance and expertise in developing its nuclear program." As part of these contacts, Ali Larijani, a senior advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, "made multiple flights to Moscow to speak with Russian officials in late 2024" on nuclear issues, as well as the Islamic Republic's potential acquisition of Russia's advanced Su-35 fighter. Additionally, Iranian officials are said to have discussed the potential rearmament of Lebanon's Hezbollah militia – whose capabilities have been eroded by Israeli strikes in recent months – with their Russian counterparts. (Meduza, January 13, 2025; IRNA, January 17, 2025)
THE GROWING TEHRAN-CARACAS CONNECTION
While Western attention has focused on the Iranian regime's rogue behavior in the Middle East and its increasingly mature nuclear program, the Islamic Republic has also been reinvesting in an ally close to the U.S. homeland. The longstanding ties between Iran and Venezuela, first formulated by then-Presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez more than a decade-and-a-half ago, have grown significantly in recent years, reports The Latin Times. The enhanced contacts now include a growing Iranian military presence in the South American state, an Iranian-built drone development base, complete with training for Venezuelan military personnel, and a significant deepening of economic ties.
The partnership, the Times notes, is a marriage of convenience. "In Iran, the economy has been crippled by a mix of bad management, corruption and existing sanctions" while "Iran's military threat has been blunted by Israel's battering of allies Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the now-collapsed Assad regime in Syria and much of Iran's air defense." In Venezuela, meanwhile, the regime of Nicolas Maduro has been buffeted by "economic and humanitarian crises," as well as widespread condemnation from the international community over what is overwhelmingly seen as a fraudulent reelection. Amid these "troubles," the Times explains, bilateral cooperation makes good strategic sense for both countries. (The Latin Times, January 10, 2025)
AN IRANIAN EXECUTION SPREE
In 2024, the Islamic Republic executed a staggering 901 individuals, a new report from the United Nations has documented. While most of those executed were behind bars for drug-related offenses, the execution spree also carries a clear political signal – with dissidents and individuals involved in the recent "woman, life, freedom" protests of recent years among those executed. The statistic is also a condemnation of Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, who successfully campaigned on a platform that promised to protect women and minorities. (Reuters, January 7, 2025)
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