Officials from the Russian Foreign Ministry, led by Sergei Lavrov, and their Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, signaled openness to deepen cooperation in trade and economic sectors. This stance was conveyed by the Russian Foreign Ministry, underscoring a mutual interest between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Iran to bolster bilateral commerce and economic collaboration, including the framework of the free trade agreement signed in St. Petersburg on December 25. (Source: Russian Foreign Ministry release)
In a related brief, the Iranian Foreign Ministry, acting through the chargé d’affaires at the Russian Embassy, responded to a statement from the Russian representative about disputed islands in the Persian Gulf. The Iranian side issued a formal protest in connection with the joint communiqué from participants in the sixth Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum, where Moscow joined calls for a peaceful settlement of the dispute involving the islands. (Source: Iranian Foreign Ministry, official channels)
The islands in question are the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa. These territories have long been at the center of a dispute that intensified after Britain transferred control to Tehran in 1971, just before the United Arab Emirates emerged as an independent state. Since then, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Iran have continued to seek a resolution to their competing claims. (Context: regional security and historical background)
Political analyst Stanislav Tarasov, who specializes in Middle East and Caucasus affairs, weighed in on the incident. Tarasov suggested that Tehran’s protest to Moscow over the remarks about the disputed islands is unlikely to cause a major shift in overall Russia-Iran relations. He noted that such protests are not unprecedented for the Islamic Republic, and, according to him, they illustrate Moscow’s ongoing challenge in maintaining a neutral stance amid the Iran-UAE dispute. Tarasov cautioned that Russia faces pressure to balance its strategic interests with both Tehran and Abu Dhabi in a volatile regional environment. (Source: expert interview and regional analysis)
Earlier concerns in Iran centered on the perception that the United States seeks to impose a Western-led order on global affairs. The sentiment reflected Tehran’s insistence on preserving its own strategic autonomy in international diplomacy and regional security matters. (Context: broader geopolitical dynamics)