Exclusive document reveals Russia-Iran 2024-2026 strategic plan to bypass Western sanctions

A nonpublic Russian government document, spanning 44 pages, details an ambitious three-year plan for Moscow and Tehran to significantly deepen their financial, energy, industrial, and nuclear ties, creating new channels for trade and cooperation. This comprehensive roadmap, approved in September 2024, outlines strategies to bolster their economies and reduce vulnerabilities amidst mounting Western sanctions against both nations.

The strategic blueprint, titled “Plan for Cooperation Between the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran for 2024-2026,” reveals a concerted effort to move beyond conventional trade. It assigns specific responsibilities to various Russian ministries, agencies, and state companies, setting deadlines for projects extending through the end of 2026. While predating the current conflicts involving Iran and the United States, independent analysis suggests several initiatives described in the document have since advanced or materialized.

Unveiling a comprehensive strategic roadmap

The significance of this document lies not merely in individual projects but in the overarching architecture Russia aims to construct around its relationship with Iran. Experts who reviewed the material emphasize that while many collaborations between the two countries have been publicly known for years, the roadmap provides an unparalleled look into the deliberate and systematic nature of their deepening partnership.

This strategic framework encompasses a broad spectrum of cooperation, from developing alternative financial mechanisms and new transportation routes to substantial energy investments and joint ventures in aviation. The primary objective is to build redundancy and reduce single points of vulnerability created by international sanctions and Western economic pressure. The document itself, marked “For official use,” avoids the term “sanctions evasion,” instead advocating for increased use of national currencies, independent financial channels, and measures to counter what Moscow refers to as “unilateral restrictive measures.”

Forging alternative financial pathways

One of the most explicit sections of the plan details how Russia and Iran intend to manage financial flows, aiming to create a robust system independent of Western control. The document sets clear targets for shifting bilateral trade away from traditional international currencies and systems.

• Increasing the share of bilateral trade conducted in national currencies from 68% in 2024 to 71% by 2026.
• Expanding correspondent accounts denominated in national currencies between banks in both countries.
• Developing the use of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) for cross-border settlements, a more ambitious long-term goal.
• Ensuring the use of independent systems for transmitting financial messages, connecting financial institutions to channels for exchanging information outside the SWIFT network.

These financial integration efforts have already shown public progress. By February 2025, Russian officials stated that bilateral settlements had “practically completely” shifted to national currencies, utilizing their own systems for financial messaging. Iranian representatives confirmed that Tehran and Moscow no longer required SWIFT for their banking relations, having begun the process of linking Iran’s Shetab payment network with Russia’s Mir system the previous year.

Broadening industrial and energy collaboration

Beyond finance, the roadmap outlines extensive cooperation in critical industrial and energy sectors, designed to foster self-sufficiency and strategic interdependence. This includes specific provisions for Iranian production of components for Russian aircraft, a move that could significantly bolster Russia’s aviation industry amid its own sanctions-related challenges.

Major energy projects are also central to the plan, although specific details remain nonpublic. These initiatives likely involve joint ventures in oil and gas exploration, production, and possibly infrastructure development, further cementing the energy ties between the two major producers. Additionally, the document addresses the creation of new transportation routes stretching toward the Persian Gulf, which would facilitate trade and logistics, bypassing traditional maritime and land routes that are more susceptible to international oversight.

Geopolitical implications and Western response

The comprehensive nature of this cooperation has significant geopolitical ramifications. Experts highlight that the collective impact of these initiatives is to remove single points of vulnerability and build robust redundancy into the Russia-Iran economic relationship, making both nations more resilient to external pressure. This strategic alignment extends to political coordination, with the roadmap calling for Russia and Iran to collaborate through platforms like BRICS and other international institutions to counter “unilateral trade restrictions” and study their impact on global markets.

A U.S. official, commenting on the financial provisions, noted that Washington closely monitors attempts by sanctioned jurisdictions to develop alternative cross-border payment mechanisms. The official affirmed that the U.S. would seek to disrupt any schemes facilitating sanctions evasion or illicit finance, underscoring the ongoing vigilance against such strategic partnerships. The document, therefore, represents a direct challenge to the efficacy of Western sanctions, illustrating a sophisticated and coordinated effort by two heavily sanctioned nations to forge an independent economic bloc.