Russia prepared cooperation plan with Iran to circumvent US sanctions — Asharq Al-Awsat
The Russian side of the aggressor state approved a 44-page cooperation plan with Iran for 2024–2026 on September 2, 2024. It provided for alternative financial channels, settlements in national currencies, and projects in energy and aviation. This was reported by Asharq Al-Awsat, citing a document obtained and reviewed by Fox News.
Finance, energy and the nuclear industry
According to the document, Russia and Iran planned to develop alternative financial mechanisms and use national currencies in mutual settlements. The roadmap also provided for strengthening cooperation in the nuclear sphere and implementing projects in the oil and gas sector.
Among the plan's provisions was the continued operation of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant by the Russian state corporation Rosatom. The document also proposed building a railway line from Iran's border with Azerbaijan to ports on the Arabian Gulf. At the same time, it is unclear which of these projects are still being implemented.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Parts for Russian aircraft
The plan provided for assistance to Russia in establishing production in Iran of certain parts and components for Russian aircraft. Russian authorities were tasked with identifying components that could be repaired or manufactured in Iran, finding Iranian companies for such production, certifying selected facilities through Rosaviatsiya, and concluding a localization agreement.
Katie Korkia, an analyst in the Russia program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who reviewed the document for Fox News Digital, noted that its significance lies not in individual projects but in the system of ties Moscow was trying to build. She described financial mechanisms, transport routes, energy investments and aviation cooperation as ways to reduce vulnerability to sanctions and Western economic pressure.
The article also notes that relations between Moscow and Tehran intensified after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. US reports claimed that Iran had supplied Russia with drones, although Tehran denied this. There were also reports of possible assistance by Moscow to Iran in the production of cruise missiles.
