Ali-Mohammad Mousavi said the meeting will be co-chaired by Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad and Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev, who serve as the heads of the joint commission for their respective countries.

Mousavi said the commission will review a wide range of issues, including completion of the International North-South Transport Corridor, gas transfers from Russia to Iran, and expanded cooperation in space industries, nuclear energy, trade and economic affairs, finance and banking, customs, industry and mining, agriculture, health, culture and tourism, as well as science and technology.

He said expert-level meetings will be held during the first two days of the commission, Feb. 16 and 17, as part of specialized working groups. Iranian and Russian experts will examine ways to expand cooperation, address existing challenges and draft a roadmap for future collaboration. The roadmap will be finalized in the form of a memorandum of understanding to be signed by the commission’s co-chairs.

Trade Volume Lags Behind Strategic Ties

Mousavi said Iran-Russia trade currently stands at about $5 billion annually. While trade has been growing, he said it does not reflect the level of strategic and friendly relations between the two countries and remains well below existing potential.

He said the joint commission provides an important opportunity to better leverage available capacities, deepen bilateral ties and significantly increase trade volumes.

Mousavi described the outlook for Iran-Russia cooperation as “bright and expanding,” adding that Russia’s regional and international role makes the joint commission an important step toward strengthening cooperation and advancing shared interests. He said the meeting could also help implement high-level agreements, including the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty and the free trade agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union.

The 18th session of the joint economic commission was held in Moscow in April 2025 with senior officials from both countries. Mostafa Barzegar, director general for Europe, the Americas and the Commonwealth of Independent States at Iran’s Oil Ministry, said 110 of the 193 provisions included in the memorandum of understanding from that session are currently being implemented.

Regular meetings of the Iran-Russia Joint Economic Commission are seen as a key mechanism for expanding economic and energy cooperation between Tehran and Moscow.