The signing of the Iranian-Russian Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on January 17, 2025, sparked media discussions among Iranian analysts about its impact on bilateral relations. In this paper, aimed at clarifying the role of this treaty in relations between Iran and Russia, the question is posed: "To what extent does this document transform the ties between the two sides?" Twenty Iranian politicians, diplomats, academics, military personnel, and businessmen were interviewed as part of the study. The data was processed manually, encoded and subjected to thematic analysis. Two main views on the contract were identified. According to the first, more widespread one, the document is considered as a means of "expanding and deepening cooperation without turning it into a full-fledged partnership." According to the second, the agreement will become a mechanism for "raising the level of cooperation to a strategic partnership" in relations between Iran and Russia. During the analysis, no additional subtopics were identified due to the narrow focus of the study and the uniformity of responses, which made it possible to clearly present the results obtained. It was revealed that the different views of Iranians on the role of the treaty in changing relations between Iran and Russia reflect both the reality and limitations of bilateral ties.
Iran, Russia, expansion and deepening of cooperation, strategic partnership