The presidents of Russia and Iran have held talks in the Kremlin before the signing of a broad cooperation pact to deepen their partnership amid stinging Western sanctions.

Just three days before US President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House, Russia and Iran are set to finally sign a “comprehensive partnership agreement,” a deal that’s been in the works for months.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans on Friday to build a gas pipeline to Iran aimed at eventually transporting up to 55 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year to the West Asian country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Iranian counterpart Friday for the signing of a broad pact between Moscow and Tehran. The Kremlin says the “comprehensive strategic partnership” agreement between Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will take their cooperation to a new level.

The agreement is focused more on trade than military issues, but it will bring two countries with a shared desire to challenge the West closer together.

Iran and Russia's partnership continues to expand, as talks of an energy pipeline to transport Russian gas to Iran through Azerbaijan take shape.

A strategic cooperation agreement that Russia and Iran are poised to sign will not include a mutual defence clause like pacts that Moscow has signed with Pyongyang and Minsk, the state TASS news agency reported on Thursday,

The necessity of entering into agreements with third countries to sustain the war challenges the Kremlin’s notion of military superiority.

The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin will host his Iranian counterpart President Masoud Pezeshkian this week for the signing of a broad partnership pact between Moscow and Tehran.

Russia is poised to sign a “comprehensive strategy partnership” with Iran in a further strengthening of an authoritarian axis of evil.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will meet in Moscow to sign a partnership pact as the two nations brace for President-elect Trump's return.

What to know about the Russian-Iranian relationship: Russia and Iran fought wars in the 18th and 19th centuries, with the Russian Empire capturing broad territories in the Caucasus and the Caspian ...