TEHRAN, Iran — The dynamics of the Iran-Turkey relationship are changing. A cursory glance at the Turkish prime minister’s March 4-5 visit to Tehran — including the way he behaved and was treated — gives the impression of a change in tone and intentions. Ahmet Davutoglu headed a major delegation consisting of five ministers and dozens of Turkish companies and businessmen — one of the largest such missions in the past decade. Two weeks later, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Turkey, expressing Tehran’s readiness to enhance economic ties and regional cooperation. The question is whether these visits indicate a turning point in relations between these two important neighbors.

The Arab Spring added new dynamics to Iran-Turkey ties. Prior to the uprisings, the relationship was defined by cooperation — both political and economic — in the absence of ideology. The emergence of the Syrian crisis, however, brought ideology to the forefront. Turkey, feeling the urgency to lead the Muslim Brotherhood’s momentum across the region, reduced its choices to backing the Syrian opposition. Meanwhile, Iran, assessing developments in Syria through the lens of a strategic rivalry that saw its competitors arm a peaceful uprising, clung to the status quo. Iran was preserving its regional influence while Turkey was enhancing its sway.

While politicized and sectarian identities amplified the Islamic State (IS) and its sibling organizations, they also hampered political dealings between Iran and Turkey, leaving their economic cooperation without a political parallel. Five years later, Davutoglu spoke with his Iranian hosts about common ground in Syria. And for the first time, the political elite in Tehran felt a different tone from both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his prime minister. It is worth asking the origin of this change and its causes.

First, there is the economic rationale. Russia’s unilateral sanctions have created an urgent Turkish need to enhance economic relations with other nations — including Iran. Turkey and Iran have had nothing in common in the past five years in terms of their views of regional political developments. However, the Russian embargo has created an incentive to go beyond these political differences. While in Tehran, Davutoglu spoke about the two countries’ agreement to expand bilateral trade to $50 billon a year. In other words, Turkey is seeking to become Iran’s first trade partner.