VLADIMIR Putin is all set to sign a defence alliance deal with Iran against the West - just two days before Donald Trump takes over the White House. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Moscow today to hold chilling "Axis of Evil" talks with the Russian tyrant.
![[Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arriving in Moscow, greeted by honor guard.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/iranian-president-masoud-pezeshkian-welcoming-964408411.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Both autocratic regimes will then sign a comprehensive 20-year Russia-Iran agreement, including provisions for closer defence cooperation and a deepening of their military ties. The alliance could also see both nations join their military forces. The strategic deal against the West comes amid Sir Keir Starmer's visit to Ukraine where he signed a historic 100-year pact with Kyiv.
![[Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at a ceremony near the Kremlin Wall.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/iranian-president-masoud-pezeshkian-centre-964407733.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Trump - who is set to swear in as the 47th president of the US on January 20 - has vowed to get Moscow and Kyiv around the table “very quickly” once he is back in the Oval Office. He said he would take a much tougher stance on Iran - hitting the cash-strapped regime with economic tougher sanctions and acting against its evil terror proxies.
![[Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian shaking hands.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/russian-president-vladimir-putin-right-964226932.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty covers all areas - from trade and military cooperation to science, education and culture. He dismissed any link with Trump's inauguration, saying the signing was planned long ago.
![[Illustration comparing the military forces of the US, Russia, and Iran, highlighting a potential combined force against the West.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/image_2b7a17.png?strip=all&w=703)
While Moscow and Tehran say their increasingly close ties are not directed against other countries, the Russian military has made extensive use of Iranian drones during the war in Ukraine. The US also accused Iran in September of delivering close-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine.
![[Two men sit at a table, one in a suit and the other in casual clothes. Flags of the UK and Ukraine are visible in the background.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/image_57e373.png?strip=all&w=620)
