Iran, China, Russia Trilateral Relations Complicates Security

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has arrived in Russia for a two-day state visit. This comes as another announcement today reveals Russia is preparing for joint naval exercises with Iran and China in the Iranian port of Chabahar.

• Raisi, a hard-line Islamist, came to power last year and has spent much of that time trying to firm up Iran’s bilateral relationships. Last week Iran sent a delegation to China to reinforce trade and security agreements. China will continue to invest heavily in Iran via Belt and Road funds in return for Iranian oil.
• The strategy of shoring up relations with China and Russia could have broader geopolitical ramifications for the region. Iran is a key ally for Russia in the volatile South Caucasus, a region Russia considers within its sphere of influence. In return, Russia disregards US sanctions and supplies Tehran with arms. Russia will be especially keen to have strong regional allies in its confrontation with NATO over Ukraine.
• Good relations with Russia and China may be helpful in securing a positive outcome for Iran in nuclear talks. Russia and China are both participants in the ongoing negotiations in Vienna to reincorporate Iran into the defunct nuclear agreement of 2015 which limits Iran’s capacity to enrich uranium.