[caption id="attachment_115882" align="alignright" width="238"] Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh (R) and Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak sign a memorandum of understanding to boost trade and economic ties on September 9, 2014 in Tehran.[/caption]
Facing continued pressure on its economy, new US sanctions, and the prospect of no comprehensive nuclear agreement, Iran has indicated a way to prevent decline alliance with Russia.
Speaking after Tuesdays three-hour talks in Tehran on Iran-Russia trade cooperation,Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh declaredthat trade can skyrocket: In 1392 (March 2013-March 2014), the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to $1.5 billion, which has the capacity to be increased to more than 10 times through efforts.
Zanganeh continued, We can provide Russia with a wide range of commodities and services they may not have access to due to (Western) illegal sanctions. We will sign a memorandum of understanding today with an eye to finalizing the bilateral trade deal.
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said, This event is a milestone in Russian-Iranian commercial relations, which will facilitate trade between the two countries.
It remains to be seen if Zanganehs rhetoric can translate into results. Last month, a proposed oil-for-barter deal reportedly worth $1.5 billion/month collapsed within hours of the signature of a five-year memorandum of understanding by Zanganeh and Novak.
The two men signed four general Memoranda on Tuesday for cooperation in industry and in oil, gas, petrochemical, and mining sectors.