It has become more and more evident that the world order is going through a profound transition. Given that, what are and should be the relations of the important actors in the future world? Trying to answer the question, Fyodor Lukyanov, research director at Russia’s Valdai Research Club and Dr. Mohammad Marandi, professor at University of Tehran shared their thoughts in the first IGT online in 2024 on January 15. Referring to it as the “most severe form of the Cold War,” Mr. Lukyanov pointed out the “unusual situation” Russia has faced since the outset of the conflict as the country’s relations with the West have been almost entirely cut off, a situation that he believed unprecedented since the early days of the Cold War. He suggested that in this situation, Russia is seeking for substituents of the West in other regions, West Asia included and whenever the war in Ukraine ends, Moscow will not need to rebuild its relations with the leaders of the old world, but with emerging powers or “the global majority.”

Dr. Marandi paid attention to the media coverage of the Iran-Russia bilateral relations and emphasized that those media who make certain Russian statements, like the one regarding Iranian islands, bolder do not care about Iranian “territorial integrity,” but are trying to divide the two countries and maintain the effectiveness of Western sanctions against them.