Isolation from West will bring Russia and Iran closer

Significance

The two countries have turned to each other amid increasing isolation from international banking systems, export markets, and foreign resources and technologies. Deepening their alliance through military cooperation and arms supplies, Moscow and Tehran are working to offset the impact of sanctions on their deteriorating economies through interbank cooperation and trade corridors.

Impacts

• While other states have kept their distance from Russia since the war in Ukraine, Iran has provided valuable military-technical assistance.
• Deepening Iranian-Russian military cooperation could prolong the Ukraine war.
• Alliance with Russia could change the power dynamics between Iran and its regional rivals.