Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attend a ceremony to sign an agreement of comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 17, 2025. Photo: Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS

Israel is deeply concerned about a recently signed “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty” between Iran and Russia, according to the Jewish state’s ambassador to Moscow.

“Iran is a country that has openly and publicly stated many times its intention to destroy Israel,” Simona Halperin told the Russian state news agency TASS in an interview published on Monday when asked about the pact.

“Any cooperation aimed at developing Iran’s ability to realize those intentions, or any agreement intended to strengthen Iran’s economic, strategic, or military capabilities, is dangerous for the entire world and particularly for Israel,” she added.

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, strengthened military ties between their countries by signing a 20-year strategic partnership.

Under the agreement, Russia and Iran will deepen bilateral cooperation across numerous sectors, including defense, energy, finance, transport, and agriculture. They will also enhance security ties through joint military drills, warship port visits, and officer training.

While the signatories pledged not to assist aggressors in the event of an attack on either country, the agreement does not include provisions for mutual military assistance in the case of an armed attack.

Following the signing of the agreement, Putin emphasized the strengthened bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade and economic relations.

“We need less bureaucracy and more concrete action. Whatever difficulties are created by others, we will be able to overcome them and move forward,” he said, referring to Western sanctions on both countries.

Pezeshkian also pointed to the potential of the agreement, saying it serves as another stimulus for “the creation of a multi-polar world” — a phrase referring to an international system in which the US is not the dominant country.

Meanwhil, Iranian and Russian officials have been working on an international alliance with Russia against US sanctions called the “International Union Against US Sanctions.” An Iranian lawmaker spearheading the effort said last month that it will soon be completed and ready to be put into practice.

The new agreement already seems to be fostering further defense ties.

On Monday, Iran confirmed the purchase of Russian Sukhoi-35 fighter jets, amid increasing tensions with Israel and the United States, potentially bolstering its ailing air force.

According to the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency, Ali Shadmani, a senior official in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, revealed the purchase but did not specify the number of jets or their delivery status.

After purchasing the new Russian fighter jets, Iran threatened Israel with potential consequences for any aggressive actions.

“If the enemy acts foolishly, it will taste the bitter taste of being hit by our missiles, and none of its interests in the occupied territories will remain safe,” Shadmani said.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin has refused to comment on these reports, neither confirming nor denying Russia’s role in supplying Su-35 fighter jets to Iran.

Iran’s current fighter fleet mainly consists of American planes acquired before the 1979 Islamic revolution, when the US and Iran had diplomatic ties, as well as Soviet planes from the 1970s and 1980s.

Last year, Tehran received two Su-35SE fighter jets from Russia as part of a program to replace its fleet of outdated US-made F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft, according to the German newspaper Flugrevue.

This bilateral cooperation comes at a time when Iran’s influence in the Middle East is in retreat, with the fall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in Syria and Israel’s military successes against two of Iran’s terrorist proxies: Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.