Iran-Russia Military and Security Relations after the JCPOA

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Mofid University

2 -

Abstract

Iran and Russia's military and security cooperation have considerably increased after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed by Iran, the European Union and the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, UK and the US). Usingthe concepts of securitization and desecuritization in the Copenhagen School of security studies,the authors examine the military and security ties between Iran and Russia. The main research question is as follows: How has the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) affected the Iranian-Russian military and security relations?The main objective is to test a hypothesis asserting that the JCPOA descuritized the Iranian nuclear program and removed the obstacles in Iran's relations with Russia in bilateral, regional and international levels. In fact, Iran's nuclear program changed into a technical issue and was desecuritized after the nuclear deal. This led to a noticeable improvement of Iran's relations with Russia and other countries. The removal of the Russian sanctions against Iran and the numerous visits of the two countries’ government officials as well as Putin's order to lift the ban on the sale of the S300 missile system to Tehran are among the most important indicators of the improvement of security relations between the two countries. Meanwhile, the Russian military presence in Syria along with Moscow’s cooperation with Iran in the fight against terrorism are viewed as other important post-JCPOA developments which have improved the bilateral Iran and Russia's military cooperation at the regional level.

Keywords

References

Amiri, M. (2010, Autumn) “Arzyābi-ye rahnāmeh-ye jadid-e rosiyeh (Evaluating the Russian New Military Doctrine)," Faslnāmeh-ye rāhbord-e defā‘e (Defense Strategy) 8, 30: 67-100. (In Persian)
Amiri, M. (2015) "“Hamkāriʹhā-ye Īrānva rosiyeh dar hoze-ye nezāmī  va defā‘e: tarsim-e chashmandāz-e pisheʹro (Iran-Russia Cooperation in the Military and Defense Sphere: The Future Prospects),” in H. Asgarian, ed. Iran-Russia Relations Prospects. Tehran: TISRI. (In Persian)
Asgarian, H. (2015) "Chashmandāz-e rāvābet-e Īrān va rosiyeh (The Prospect of Iran-Russia Relations)," in H. Asgarian, ed.Iran-Russia Relations Prospects. Tehran: TISRI. (In Persian)
Atrisangari, F. (2015) "Naghshe bazigar-e jahānī- āmricā, etehādī-ye oropā va rejim-e sahunistī dar rāvābet-e Īrān va rosiyeh (The Role of the United States, the European Union and Israel in Iran-Russia Relations)," in H. Asgarian, ed.  Iran-Russia Relations Prospects. Tehran: TISRI. (In Persian)
Bobkin, N. (2015) "Iran in the New Geopolitical Coordinates: A Choice in Favor of Russia,” The Foundation of Strategic Culture. Available at:   https://www.fondsk.ru/news/ 2015/11/12/iran-v-novyh-geopoliticheskih-koordinatah-vybor-v-polzu-rossii-36709.html (accessed 10 October 2017).  (in Russian)
Bodner, M. (2015) "Mistrust Dogs Russian-Iran Arms Talks as Shoigu Heads for Tehran,” Moscow Times. Available at:   https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/mistrust-dogs-russia-iran-arms-talks-as-shoigu-heads-for-tehran-43011, (accessed 11 October 2017).
Buzan, B., et al. (1998) Security: A New Framework for Analysis. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.
Buzan, B. (2000) "Copenhagen School in the Security Studies,” Strategic Studies 3, 3: 9-15.
Hollinger, P., et al. (2015, November 9) "Russian Breaks Deadlock over Sale of S-300 Missile System to Iran,” The Financial Times. Available at:  https://www.ft.com/content/7f701684-86d0-11e5-90de-f44762bf9896 (accessed 5 March 2017).
Kassianova, A. (2006) "Russian Weapons Sales to Iran,” PONARS Policy Memo. Available at: http://www.ponarseurasia.org/sites/default/files/policy-memos-pdf/pm_0427.pdf (accessed  8 July 2017).
Katzman, K. (2016) "Iran Sanctions,” Available at:  https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/ RS20871.pdf (accessed 2 March 2018).
Kozhanov, N. (2015) "Are the Russians and Iranians Friends?” Fair Observer. Available at:  https://www.fairobserver.com/region/ europe/are-the-russians-and-iranians-friends-12812 (accessed 3 September 2016).
Kouzegar Kaleji, V. (2015) "Arseʹhā-ye hāmkārī-ye Īrān va rosiyeh dar chārchob-e negarānīʹhā-ye moshtarek dar āsiyā-ye markazī va ghafghāz-e jonobī (The Areas of Cooperation between Iran and Russia in the Framework of Common Concerns in the Central Asia and South Caucasus),” in H. Asgarian, ed. Iran-Russia Relations Prospects. Tehran: TISRI. (In Persian)
Majidi, M. and A. Samoudi. (2014, Summer) "Talāshʹhā-ye rejim-e sahunistī barā-ye barnāmeh-e hasteʹi-ye Īrān be onvān-e yek tahdid-e amniyātī (Attempts by Israel to Portray the Nuclear Program of Iran as a Threat to Security),” Faslnāmeh-ye pajhoheshʹhā-ye enghelāb-e eslāmī(Islamic Revolution Research) 3, 10: 191-214. (In Persian)
Omidi, A. and S. Moradifar. (2014) "Securitization of Iran’s Nuclear Program, 2003-2013,” World Politics 10: 121-149.
Rostami, F. and M. Naderi. (2016, Summer)  "Barjām, parvandeh-ye atomī va bastarʹhā-ye amniyātīʹsāzī va ghi’re amniyatīʹsāzi (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)  the Iranian Nuclear Dossier and the Non-Securitization Context of Securitization),” Faslnāmeh-ye tahghighāt-e siyāsī baynolmelalī-e daneshgāh-e āzād-e eslāmī (Islamic Azad University Quarterly) 8, 27: 187-218. (In Persian)
Samoudi, A. (2017) Siyāsat-e oropāee va barnāmeh-e hastei-ye erān (The European Politics and Iran's Nuclear Program). Qom: Mofid University Press. (In Persian)
Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies (IEEE), The Ministry of Defense of Spain. (2015, December 31) The Russian Federation's National Security Strategy. Available at: http://www.ieee.es/Galerias/fichero/OtrasPublicaciones/Internacional/2016/Russian-National-Security-Strategy-31Dec2015.pdf (accessed  8 July 2017).
Stuster, D. (2015) "Russia, Iran, Iraq and Syria to Share Intelligence on Islamic State,” Foreign Policy. Available at:    http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/09/28/russia-iran-iraq-and-syria-to-share-intelligence-on-islamic-state (accessed  3 March 2018).
Trenin, D. (2010) "Russia's Policy in the Middle East: Prospects for Consensus and Conflict with the United States,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP). Available at:   https://carnegieendowment.org/files/trenin_middle_east.pdf (accessed 4 April 2018). 
Zargar, A. (2013, Summer) "Mavāze-ye rosiyeh da ghebāl-e tahavolāt-e soriyeh (Russia's Standpoints towards Syrian Crisis 2011-2013),” Faslnāmeh-ye āsiyā-yemarkazī va ghafghāz (Central Asia and the Caucasus Studies 19, 82: 2013, 53-80. (In Persian)
Journal of Iran and Central Eurasia Studies
Volume 1, Issue 1
May 2018
Pages 77-92

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics