Putin To Host Raisi In Moscow On Wednesday

The Kremlin has confirmed that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will be hosted by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday. This will be the first bilateral meeting between the two since Raisi's inauguration in August 2021.

• Kremlin states that the two will discuss regional and bilateral issues, joint economic projects, international topics, and perhaps most importantly the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the Iran nuclear deal, JCPoA).
• Talks in Vienna between the JCPoA signatories are ongoing, but have made little progress with only two weeks until the six-month period of the talks comes to an end. Should no agreement be reached there is the risk of an escalation in tensions should Tehran speed up its nuclear refining programme.
• The visit to Russia will be seen as a key opportunity for Raisi to secure economic support in the event that Western sanctions remain in place should the JCPoA talks not lead to an agreement and a relaxing of restrictions.