The leaders of Iran and Russia praised the agreement, which covers politics, security, trade, transport and energy.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a cooperation agreement, deepening the partnership between the two most sanctioned countries in the world.

Iranian and Russian officials said the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty covers areas ranging from trade and military cooperation to science, culture and education.

At a joint news conference with Pezeshkian in Moscow on Friday, Putin hailed the deal as “a real breakthrough that creates conditions for stability and sustainable development in Russia, Iran and the entire region.”

The Kremlin earlier said the treaty would strengthen “military-political and trade-economic” ties between Tehran and Moscow, but specific details have not been disclosed.

Pezeshkian said that relations between the two countries are entering a new chapter, especially in trade.

The leaders of the two countries stated that the two countries will strengthen cooperation in the fields of politics, security, trade, transportation and energy.

Both countries have increased trade activities in response to Western sanctions. Iran has supplied Russia with self-exploding Shahd drones, which Moscow has used in nighttime attacks on Ukraine, according to Ukrainian and Western officials.

Moscow has considered Iran an important strategic partner since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, a move that has alarmed Western officials who view both countries as a force for global instability.

Negotiations for the new treaty took several years. The current framework between the two countries is based on the 2001 agreement and is updated regularly.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday: “The treaty… is constructive in nature and aims to strengthen the capabilities of Russia, Iran and our friends around the world.”

The treaty is expected to remain in force for 20 years, state news agency TASS reported, citing Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali.

Forging closer ties with Iran, China and North Korea has been a core focus of Putin’s foreign policy as he seeks to challenge what he calls U.S.-led “global hegemony.”

Pezeshkian’s visit to Russia comes after Tehran faced several foreign policy setbacks last year.

These include a Syrian opposition offensive that toppled President Bashar Assad, a key ally of Russia and Iran, and weakened the Lebanese armed Hezbollah group after a war with Israel.

The treaty was signed days before Trump returned to power. The US president-elect has long advocated an uncompromising stance against Iran, threatening swift military action to end conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

During his first term, Trump withdrew from a multinational deal that provided Iran with sanctions relief in exchange for nuclear curbs.

In 2020, Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Qasem Soleimani during a U.S. drone strike in Iraq, sparking anger in Iran.

Last year, Trump warned that the United States would “wipe[Iran]off the face of the earth” if Iran succeeded in its plot to assassinate him.