So far, Russian officials and commentators appear pleased with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the agreement between the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) and Iran that addresses Tehran’s nuclear weapons program. Whether they will feel the same way next year, or five years from now, is less clear.

President Vladimir Putin set the tone in a statement, saying, “Russia welcomes the agreement reached today in Vienna,” and “We are satisfied that the solution found is based on the principle of phasing and mutuality, which our country has been consistently supporting at every stage of these complicated negotiations.” Nevertheless, although the Kremlin leader was unambiguously positive in assessing the deal, he did not seem especially enthusiastic — that is, he did not describe it as a “victory” or express a sense of triumph. Russia’s main government-run television channel left that role to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, prominently broadcasting his remark, “Today we are making history.”

The Russian president cited three specific accomplishments in his formal comments on the deal. First, he said, “Despite the attempts to validate any scenarios based on the use of force, the parties to the negotiations made a choice in favor of stability and cooperation.” Avoiding US military action against Iran is a big deal for Moscow, where many have long viewed the prospect as deeply destabilizing in a region bordering Russia. Alexey Pushkov, chairman of the State Duma’s Committee on International Relations, amplified this point by noting, “If events went on the war path, then, really, this instability could directly impact the Russian republics in the North Caucasus.” 

Second, Putin asserted, “Iran gets the opportunity to develop this [civilian nuclear] program, including uranium enrichment, under IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] control and with the gradual lifting of sanctions imposed against Tehran, something we have long called for.” He continued to explain that this is essential to developing Russian-Iranian civilian nuclear cooperation, a significant economic opportunity for Russia’s state-run nuclear industry.