
Received 06.09.2021. Revised 02.08.2022. Accepted 03.11.2022.
Abstract. The expansion of terrorism in the Middle East in the context of the Arab Spring has become a factor of unprecedented military-political rapprochement between Iran and Russia. This article studies the anti-terrorist cooperation between the two states. The author argues that the new level of cooperation between Tehran and Moscow is a consequence of structural conditions of the international environment, which has come under pressure of international terrorism. To combat terrorism, Iran and Russia are trying to use instruments of not only “hard” but also “soft” power by creating platforms for intercultural and interreligious dialogue. In this regard, the legal foundations of anti-terrorist cooperation between Iran and Russia, its forms and levels are explored. The paper also assesses the possibilities and prospects of cooperation between the two states in the fight against terrorism. The author predicts functional and geographical expansion of the interaction of the two sides in the context of their anti-terrorist strategy. In this context, Central Asia, a significant channel of trafficking of Afghan opiates, and the radical ideology of jihadists, is identified as an important vector of cooperation. The author notes that if Iran intensifies its participation within SCO and CSTO, the potential of these institutions in the fight against non-traditional threats will increase and possibilities of joint participation of Iran and Russia in the settlement of the Afghan conflict will expand. An increase in cooperation between Tehran and Moscow in the field of cyber terrorism is expected against the background of the signing of an agreement between the two states on ensuring information security. The article concludes that the threat of terrorism to the security of Iran and Russia creates many options for joint fight against this destructive phenomenon, but the use of those opportunities remains limited.
Keywords: international terrorism, Iranian-Russian relations, Syrian conflict, the Middle East, religious extremism
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