Failure of the Formation of Strategic Alliance between Iran and Russia: Analyzing the Causes

In recent years, Iran and Russia have experienced such a dramatic expansion in their relations that even in some analyses this development has been described as moving toward to a strategic alliance. The main question the present descriptive-analytical research concerns is the causes of the failure of forming a strategic alliance between Iran and Russia in spite of military and security developments in their relations. To answer this question, the theory of realism relying on alliances was used. The findings show that the relations between Iran and Russia have been mainly affected by Iran’s economic, military, and political needs and there has been no serious intention on the part of Russia to enhance ties to form a strategic alliance with Iran. Furthermore, Iran has never been a security priority in Russian foreign policy and no institutionalized relation, which is essential for such an alliance, has been established between the two governments and the two nations. On the contrary, their political relations have deepened the gap between the two nations, fueling a sense of distrust among Iranians of the Russians.