Relations between Iran and Russia continue to warm amidst an increasingly unstable geopolitical climate. The two allies signed a cooperative agreement this week, signaling Tehran and Moscow will lean on each other more as they similarly face a slew of Western sanctions.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, signed a broad cooperation pact Friday as their countries deepened their partnership in the face of stinging Western sanctions.

For Moscow, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to Russia on Jan. 17 is a diplomatic victory. The trip's centerpiece will be the finalization of a long-heralded partnership deal between Russia and Iran,