Iran Spurns Russia's Crimea Annexation in New Strategic Treaty

By Maya Mehrara

In a new treaty with Russia to be signed on Friday, Iran has rejected Moscow's annexation of Crimea, according to the Middle East Eye.

Newsweek has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Iranian Mission to the United Nations for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Iran's refusal to recognize Crimea as Russian territory in the new treaty suggests that Tehran may not be entirely supportive of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

What To Know

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are set to sign a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership treaty, which is meant to establish Russia-Iran relations for the next 20 years and strengthen the partnership between the two countries in multiple sectors amid isolation from global powers due to sanctions.

However, the treaty does not recognize Crimea as Russian territory, although Moscow annexed the region from Ukraine in 2014. The omitted recognition was apparent in one of the clauses in the agreement regarding territorial integrity, which is crucial for Tehran as well as Moscow—as the United Arab Emirates and Iran have disputed over three gulf islands under Iranian control since 1971.

Tehran's decision to not recognize Crimea as Russian territory comes in conflict with how it previously regarded the territory. In 2022, Iranian troops were "directly engaged on the ground" in the peninsula, supporting Russia's attacks, the Associated Press reported.

The new long-term agreement consists of 47 articles, the Middle East Eye reported, citing a government source. The articles address various topics the countries are set to partner on—including technology, information and cybersecurity, peaceful nuclear energy collaboration, counterterrorism, regional cooperation, environmental issues, and organized crime. The new treaty, which has been in the works for five years, is meant to replace a previous long-term agreement between Russia and Iran that dates back to 2001 and was extended to 2020.

Crimea, a peninsula connected to the mainland of Ukraine, has become a crucial part of the war between Moscow and Kyiv. The territory has a history of being under Russian control as it was annexed by Moscow in 1783 under Catherine the Great as part of the Russian Empire. It gained its independence with Ukraine in 1991. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, conflict in the peninsula has increased as Kyiv seeks to reclaim the territory.

What People Are Saying

Anton Barbashin, the editorial director of the outlet Riddle Russia, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday: "Per this reporting, Iran has refused to add a provision that would recognize Crimea as part of Russia to strategic cooperation agreement with Russia. Don't know if that was an issue at all but it should remind us that even sanctioned Iran doesn't play ball."

Xenta, a pro-Ukraine X user, wrote: "A 'blow' from an unexpected direction: Iran has refused to recognize occupied Crimea and other 'disputed territories' as russian in the new Comprehensive Partnership Agreement for the next 20 years, which is set to be signed in moscow on January 17."

What Happens Next

Russia and Iran a due to sign the agreement three days before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

Further disputes over Crimea may ensue between the countries and other global powers in terms of recognizing who retains control over the territory. Tehran's lack of recognition of the peninsula as Russian may also incite similar treatment from Moscow regarding Iranian territories.