Russia and Iran will sign a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement on Friday in the Kremlin, which will include defense cooperation, three days before the investiture of US President Donald Trump.
Russian presidential spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, said that Moscow attaches “great importance” to the signing of the agreement during the first visit to this country of Iranian leader Masud Pezeshkian.
Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin have met twice in recent months, the last time last October in Kazan during the BRICS summit, to prepare the document.
Relations between Russia and Iran have strengthened in recent years, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine, where Moscow has the support of Tehran, which would have supplied drones and even missiles to the Russian side, according to the West.
Russians and Iranians are the great losers of the fall of the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Asad, who went into exile last December in Moscow.
With the background of the mutual assistance clause in case of external aggression signed between Russia and North Korea, on the eve of the visit there was speculation about the possibility that Moscow and Tehran seal a similar agreement.
In view of the antagonism between Iran and Russia on the one hand and Israel and the United States on the other, this would put Moscow in a very delicate situation, when the war in Ukraine has not even ended yet.
Both Foreign Ministers, the Russian Sergei Lavrov and the Iranian Abbas Araqchi, admitted that the 47 points of the agreement will include aspects of defense and security, but denied that it is directed against Washington.
“This agreement, like the one we have with North Korea, is not directed against any other country and has a constructive character,” Lavrov said at a press conference.
He stressed that the document “is aimed at strengthening the capacity of Russia and Iran in various parts of the world (…) and guaranteeing a reliable defense potential.”
Meanwhile, his Iranian colleague stressed that the document is not a threat to anyone and only represents “a strengthening of common security”.
“One of the main aspects of the agreement is the strengthening of cooperation on security and defence. Iran and Russia have invaluable experience in the fight against terrorism and extremism,” he said.
And he added that this cooperation is aimed at strengthening regional and global stability, and “responds not only to the interests of both countries, but to the interests of peace throughout the world.”
The signing of the agreement will take place on the eve of the arrival at the White House of Donald Trump, who has Tehran in his sights for his second presidential term.
“The numerous speculations about the choice of the date for the signing of the agreement between Iran and Russia on the eve of Trump’s coming to power only provoke a smile. Have fun the supporters of the conspiracy theory!” said Peskov.
He added that this ceremony “has no influence on the essence of the comprehensive Russian-Iranian agreement.”
In an attempt to reduce tension, Pezeshkian also assured the NBC television channel that his country never tried to assassinate the elected president during the election campaign.
Politicians from both countries commented in recent days that the agreement will facilitate the fight against sanctions and even encouraged other countries to enter a global coalition against the unilateral impositions of the West.
In this regard, Araqchí stressed that it is not “a simple political document, but a roadmap for the future.”
“This is more than an agreement, it is a step towards the creation of a more just and balanced world. Iran and Russia, aware of their historical responsibility, build a new order in which cooperation replaces hegemony and respect for imposition,” he said in an article published by the official agency RIA Novosti.
Last November, Tehran and Moscow connected their banking systems to boost their trade and financial transactions, in a step to address US and European Union sanctions.
Iran has also advocated that the document paves the way for a deepening of energy cooperation, which would include the transfer of technology and the transit of Russian gas to Middle East countries.
The Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas on Thursday of creating a “last-minute crisis” after allegedly trying to modify details of the draft ceasefire in Gaza announced yesterday by Qatar, and assured that the Israeli government will not approve its implementation until the disagreements are clarified.
“Hamas violates parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last-minute concessions,” the Israeli president’s office denounced today. “The cabinet will not meet until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all the elements of the agreement.”
In a statement in response, Hamas said that “it is committed to the ceasefire agreement, announced by the mediators.” For his part, Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told EFE that he did not know what Netanyahu’s words about new demands meant.
One of the spokesmen of the Islamist organization, Sami Abu Zuhri, blamed Israel on Thursday for seeking to “create tension at a critical moment” and demanded that the US administration force compliance with the agreement.
The Directorate of Kidnapped, Repatriate and Disappeared of the Netanyahu Office informed the families of the kidnapped early of the setback in the negotiations.
The Government meeting, which was scheduled for this Thursday at 11:00 am (9:00 GMT), is thus postponed indefinitely until the discrepancies are resolved, but Israeli local media say that it could be held this afternoon.
In addition to all this, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that his party would leave the coalition government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he does not commit to resuming the war in Gaza “immediately after” the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
This morning, Netanyahu’s Office reported, in a first statement, that the prime minister had spoken by phone with the Doha mediators, who informed him that Hamas was trying to move away from what was already agreed on May 27, by wanting to choose who will be the prisoners released in an exchange for hostages.
“Among other things, contrary to an explicit clause that grants Israel the right to veto the release of mass murderers who are symbols of terrorism, Hamas wants to dictate the identity of those terrorists,” the text denounces, in what it describes as “blackmail attempts.”
However, Basem Naim, a member of the Hamas political bureau, told EFE that he did not know what Netanyahu’s words about new demands referred to.
According to the public broadcaster Kan, the sudden delay of the government vote could in turn be due to “the ongoing deliberations” of the Religious Zionism party, chaired by the Minister of Finance and far-right settler Bezalel Smotrich, on whether or not to leave the Executive once the ceasefire is approved.
Both Smotrich and the also settler and Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, oppose what they consider a “surrender” agreement before Hamas, which would also prevent their longings for Jewish settlers to reoccupy the post-war Palestinian enclave.
But even if this happened, Netanyahu would have the majority support to give the green light to the ceasefire, which would come into force this Sunday after more than 15 months of massacres and about 47,000 Gazans dead.
According to leaks, in a first phase Hamas will gradually release, and in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, 33 hostages (alive and dead) giving priority to women still captive – including soldiers -, people over 50 years old, children under nineteen and the sick.
The Arab League, made up of 22 states, also demanded to prioritize the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza as soon as the agreement between Israel and Hamas enters into force, and that the war be “completely ended”.
On the other hand, the United States, Qatar and Egypt, the mediators and guarantors of the truce agreement in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, confirmed in a joint statement that they will ensure the implementation of the pact by both parties “in all its phases.”
“Egypt, the State of Qatar and the United States of America affirm that their policy as guarantors of the agreement is to ensure that both parties fully implement their three phases,” underlined a joint statement made public in the last few hours by the Egyptian Presidency.
In addition, after the agreement, the Israeli Army killed at least 71 Gazati between the night and early hours of Thursday, according to local sources in the Gaza Strip.
The Australian Police have filed charges against a 34-year-old woman for allegedly poisoning her one-year-old baby to gain followers and raise money from donations, according to a statement released this Thursday by the Australian authorities.
The Child Protection and Investigation Unit has accused the woman of torture, claiming that she “filmed and published videos of the girl while she was suffering anguish and immense pain,” a content that exploited the child “and was used to attract monetary donations and online followers,” says the Queensland state department, northeast of the country.
In the statement, the Police explain that, between August 6 and October 15, 2024, the woman administered several prescription and unauthorized medications to the baby and tried to hide this behavior.
However, the medical staff of a hospital in southern Brisbane, capital of Queensland, detected what happened and informed the police while the girl was admitted last October, when they did some tests with which they detected unauthorized medications in the blood.
The woman was arrested this Thursday and is accused of crimes such as poisoning and premeditation of the facts, including torture, manufacture of child exploitation material and fraud.
An explosion shook the center of Kiev this Thursday around noon when the city’s air defenses were activated to repel a Russian attack in the middle of a visit to the Ukrainian capital of the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, who arrived hours before this bombing.
“Air defense forces operate in the center of the capital. Go to the shelters!”, the city’s mayor, Vitali Klichkó, wrote on his Telegram account, just after the rumble of the explosion was heard.
The Ukrainian Air Force had previously warned that attack drones launched by Russia were heading towards the Kiev region and towards the capital itself.
Russia usually carries out its suicide drone attacks at night or in the early hours of the morning, although it has also launched numerous missile and drone bombings against Kiev and other cities in Ukraine in broad daylight.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview published in the Polish press that “Europe, without the Ukrainian army, will not be able to face the Russian army, because it is more numerous” and also “Russia has more weapons, more people and is more cruel than the Europeans.”
Venezuela’s Interior Ministry confirms arrest of María Corina Machado’s driver
At least 20 injured in tram collision at Strasbourg Train Station tunnel
12 dead after jade mine collapse in Northern Myanmar
The Sudanese Army takes a Khartum neighborhood in an offensive to recover the capital
Álvaro Uribe calls for international military intervention to oust Maduro
Migrants in Ciudad Juárez brave subzero temperatures with donations of warm clothing
President Arévalo highlights anti-corruption and drug trafficking efforts in first year report
Nicolás Maduro says that “the truth has triumphed” in Venezuela and begins a “new stage”
ACLU prepares for “worst-case scenario” on immigration under incoming Trump administration
The head of Defense of Venezuela: FF.AA. does not break with sanctions or reward blackmail
The German far-right approves an electoral program with promises of “remigration” and exit from the euro
HMPV infection rate declining in Northern China, health official reports
Trump announces creation of external revenue service to collect foreign tariffs
Elon Musk sends Cybertrucks with Starlink and supplies to assist Los Angeles wildfire victims
SpaceX postpones the seventh test of its powerful Starship rocket for Wednesday
Delta Airlines cancels 1,100 flights amid winter storm chaos
Venezuelan opposition leader to meet Costa Rican president Rodrigo Chaves on thursday
Canadian business leaders meet with president Sheinbaum to boost investments in Mexico
Trump describes politicians in charge of the fires in Los Angeles as “incompetent”
Biden warns “Soul of America” still at stake ahead of farewell address
Marco Rubio warns of China’s threat and criticizes Venezuela and Cuba in Senate hearing
Indigenous peoples of Mexico help migrants stranded in the south far from the border
Emotional support dogs help firefighters fighting fires in California
Far-right Israeli minister will leave the Netanyahu government if his country does not resume the war after the truce
Russia attacks Kiev in the middle of British Prime Minister Starmer’s visit
An Australian influencer is accused of poisoning her baby to earn money
The Government of Israel accuses Hamas of wanting to modify the truce agreement and postpones its vote
French justice saves a domesticated boar threatened with euthanasia by the authorities
Carlos Correa, director of the Venezuelan NGO Espacio Público, has been released from prison
The ‘Supersopa’, created during the great crisis of 2002, returns to the canteens of Argentina
Separate negotiators and last-minute details, this is how the ceasefire in Gaza was negotiated
Pope Francis suffers a fall without fractures and his arm is immobilized as a precaution
