MOSCOW, July 30. /TASS/. Iran’s new President Masoud Pezeshkian will give a fresh impetus to the development of ties with Russia and will continue holding a balanced position on the conflict in Ukraine, Professor Mahmoud Shouri of the Tehran-based Institute for Iran and Eurasian Studies (IRAS) told TASS.

"In the current conditions, we can further expand partnership between Iran and Russia, since Pezeshkian and his team’s views on foreign policy are that its achievements should be used to improve living conditions for people in the country," he said.

According to the expert, the new president "has a realistic view on relations with Russia and will not seek to undermine the good Iranian-Russian relations." "Over the past three years (when Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May, was Iran’s president - TASS), Tehran and Moscow signed a large number of agreements, are cooperating and sharing common positions within various international institutions, in particular, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Eurasian Economic Union," he noted.

Pezeshkian will "continue the policy of active neutrality" concerning the crisis in Ukraine, the expert suggested. Tehran "conducts a humanistic policy, stand for ending hostilities and will spare no effort" to end the conflict.

After winning the presidential election, Pezeshkian called Russia "Iran’s valuable strategic ally and neighbor." He promised to continue attaching priority attention to cooperation with Moscow, especially within BRICS, SCO, and EAEU. He recalled that Russia and China supported his country in hard times.

During a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pezeshkian said he is ready to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with Russia on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan in October 2024.

Pezeshkian was inaugurated as Iranian president on July 30. In his inaugural speech, he said that he is ready to negotiate detente in relations with the West and promised to make efforts towards the normalization of economic relations with the world and continue fighting against sanctions. The inauguration ceremony was attended by representatives for at least 80 countries. The Russian delegation was led by speaker of the State Duma, or lower house of parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin.