Despite both countries' best efforts—including high-profile visits and energy agreements—2022 brought only moderate growth in trade between Moscow and Tehran. Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin stated in January that Iran-Russia commodity imports and exports increased by 15% last year to around 4.6B USD. But these numbers pale in comparison with the shifts in Russia’s trade patterns following the imposition of western sanctions over the Ukraine war.

For example, Russian exchanges with China expanded by 29% last year, reaching 190B USD. Trade with Turkey—a neighbor of Iran—jumped by 84%, to over 60B USD. As these figures show—and as Amwaj.media has previously explained—Iran is unlikely to be a panacea to Russia’s financial challenges in the face of western sanctions. Yet, Moscow and Tehran continue to demonstrate political will to...