Arash Aramesh

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said July 15 that Iran needs to find courage to cooperate with the international community. According to BBC Persian service, Medvedev said that Iran had been one of Russia’s primary trade partners for years, but this does not mean the Russian government will be indifferent towards Iran’s nuclear program.

Medvedev’s remarks came a day after Iran and Russia signed an energy agreement in which the Russians expressed interest to sell gasoline to Iran. According to Fars news, a semi-official news agency with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Russia’s Minister of Energy said that sales of gas to Iran will not violate UN Security Council sanctions.

Russo-Iranian relations have become very complicated in recent months. For the better part of the past twenty years, Russia was a major investor in various Iranian industries and was considered as Tehran’s main international backer. In the past six months, however, Moscow has shifted its position to satisfy some of Washington’s demands. This shift has angered top Iranian officials. Last month, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned President Medvedev not to fall in a “Western trap” and not be fooled by Western intelligence services.

The Iranians are frustrated with Russia’s performance in building Bushehr’s nuclear reactor. The facility was supposed to be operational almost ten years ago, but Russia has changed the delivery date repeatedly while asking for more money to finish the project.

The delivery of sophisticated S-300 surface to air missiles is another sensitive issue. Iran purchased a number of S-300 batteries and missiles and paid the Russian contractor in full. The Russians have not delivered the batteries. Many analysts note US and Israeli pressure as main reasons behind Russia’s failure to deliver the missiles.

Last but not least, the Russian vote in favor of UN sanctions angered officials in Tehran who had thought Russia and China would support Iran at the UN. The only two votes against sanctions came from Turkey and Brazil, the masterminds of the May 15 Tehran Declaration.

The policy of the Putin-Medvedev government, it seems, has been a combination of meeting West’s demands on things such as indefinitely postponing the delivery of S-300 missiles and offering Iran economic relief in the form of gasoline sales and assisting in the completion of the Bushehr facility.