Iran News Round Up

Fred Kagan clarifies common points of confusion regarding the Trump administration’s decision on the nuclear deal in “Confusion over the Iran deal.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with senior Iranian political leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani, on November 1 in Tehran as part of a tripartite gathering between Russian, Iranian, and Azeri officials. Khamenei called for Russian cooperation in “eliminating the U.S. dollar” in order to isolate the U.S. and to make U.S. sanctions “ineffective.” Khamenei and Putin both indicated the necessity of greater cooperation in developing joint transportation, oil and gas, and agricultural programs. Putin called Iran a “strategic partner,” and expressed hope to solidify and expand relations between Moscow and Tehran. The meeting also highlighted the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Putin expressed Russia’s opposition to “any unilateral change” to the JCPOA. (Khamenei.ir) (Fars News Agency)

• Putin meets with Rouhani. President Hassan Rouhani lauded the expansion of cooperation between Russian and Iran in various sectors including energy, nuclear technologies, and transportation during his meeting with Putin on November 1. Rouhani noted Iranian interest in attracting Russian investors to finance industrial and energy-infrastructure projects in addition to developing transportation and communication lines for a proposed North-South Corridor to connect Iran and Eastern Europe. (President.ir) (Fars News Agency) (ISNA)
• Rouhani and Putin meet with Azeri president. Rouhani and Putin also met with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev as part of a trilateral summit between Iran, Russia, and Azerbaijan. Rouhani called for greater cooperation between Tehran and Baku in developing banking ties, joint oil exploration in the Caspian Sea, and transportation routes. Rouhani stressed that Iran, Azerbaijan, and other regional countries should undertake commercial transactions using “national currencies” in order to strengthen regional banking ties and degrade the influence of the U.S. dollar. (Fars News Agency)

Russian energy corporation Rosneft head Igor Sechin announced that Rosneft signed a preliminary roadmap agreement with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). The two companies plan to implement “strategic” oil and gas projects in Iran worth up to $30 billion. This roadmap agreement comes after talks in Tehran between NIOC and various Russian energy companies, including Rosneft, Gazprom, and Lukoil, to develop Iranian oil and gas fields, before Putin’s visit on November 1. (Reuters) (E) (Tasnim News Agency) (E)

Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) Chief IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri met with his Russian counterpart Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov in Tehran on November 1. The two discussed bilateral defense cooperation between Iran and Russia, as well as coordination to combat terrorism in the region. The two also called for the expansion of ties to promote security, research, industry, and education. (Sepah News) (Defa Press)