VLADIMIR Putin is all set to sign a defence alliance deal with Iran against the West - just two days before Donald Trump takes over the White House.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Moscow today to hold chilling "Axis of Evil" talks with the Russian tyrant.
Both autocratic regimes will then sign a comprehensive 20-year Russia-Iran agreement, including provisions for closer defence cooperation and a deepening of their military ties.
The alliance could also see both nations join their military forces.
The strategic deal against the West comes amid Sir Keir Starmer's visit to Ukraine where he signed a historic 100-year pact with Kyiv.
Trump - who is set to on January 20 - has vowed to get Moscow and Kyiv around the table “very quickly” once he is back in the Oval Office.
He said he would take a much tougher stance on Iran - hitting the cash-strapped regime with economic tougher sanctions and acting against its evil terror proxies.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty covers all areas - from trade and military cooperation to science, education and culture.
He dismissed any link with Trump's inauguration, saying the signing was planned long ago.
While Moscow and Tehran say their increasingly close ties are not directed against other countries, the Russian military has made extensive use of Iranian drones during the war in Ukraine.
The US also accused Iran in September of delivering close-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine.
Tehran denies supplying drones or missiles but gives political support to Putin, echoing his arguments for justifying the conflict.
Russia has cultivated closer ties with Iran and other countries hostile towards the US, including North Korea and China.
The Kremlin has also forged strategic pacts with Pyongyang and close ally Belarus.
At least 10,000 North Korean military troops are now fighting with the Russians inside Kursk in a bid to reverse Ukraine's brave land-grab attack.
The Russia-Iran defence deal also comes just weeks after their pal Bashar al-Assad was ousted from Syria after a lightening rebellion from the opposition forces.
With Moscow preoccupied with fighting in Ukraine, and Iran facing challenges from Israel, they failed to prevent a swift collapse of Assad's rule.
There are signs of growing discontent about Russia within Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, a paramilitary force answerable only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Last week, an audio recording leaked in Iranian media with a Guard general blaming Russia for woes Iran suffered in Syria.
Iran is expected to demand Russian long-range air defence systems and other weapons in the deal.
It has hoped to get Russia's advanced Su-35 fighter jets to upgrade its ageing fleet hobbled by sanctions, but Moscow only provided a few Yak-130 trainer jets in 2023.
DONALD Trump's top team has hatched a carrot and stick plan to force the warring leaders to the discussion table and bring peace to the region when he enters office in January.
The clever scheme uses America’s military support for Ukraine as a double-edged sword to encourage Zelensky and threaten panicky Putin.
If the Russian war-mongering kept snatching land and refused to join peace talks, Trump would make him suffer by pouring more cash into Ukraine’s military.
Zelensky would be rewarded for following Trump’s lead with support for Ukraine to protect itself under the new terms of any deal.
Under Trump’s plan, Zelensky would have to give up the land Russia has already taken in the eastern regions of Ukraine and drop his dream of immediately joining Nato.
The Ukrainian leader has repeatedly ruled out land sacrifices for most of the war but recently indicated he might consider the option to halt the bloodshed.
If Zelensky did not cooperate, Trump would slash the US support that the Ukrainian military relies on.
There are signs both Zelensky and Putin may fall in line with Trump’s plan which could prove to be a silver bullet.
Insiders close to Trump told The Sun that Putin is “scared to death” of the president-elect and will be ready to talk when he takes power.
But bullish Vlad is already teeing up hard-line terms for any deal brokered by Trump, sources say.
Zelensky indicated he may be open to negotiations, but still has Ukraine joining Nato as part of his “victory plan”.
There is consensus among Trump’s advisors that any peace deal would rule out Ukraine joining Nato in the near future, so this could be a sticking point.
But this is where the US could use the threat of withdrawing military support to leverage Zelensky.
Trump's policy of maximum pressure on Iran heralds more trouble for Tehran.
This month, he left open the possibility of the US preemptive airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, but some officials increasingly suggest it could pursue atomic weapons.
Last year, the Nato chief warned that tyrants of the world are ramping up threats against the West in a "much more violent world".
Jens Stoltenberg said that autocratic regimes like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are increasingly working together to form "Axis of evil" against Western democracies.
The leader argued that the "authoritarian" alliance is giving each other practical support and getting "more and more aligned".
He explained how these nations are working in cahoots to support each other in a bid to undermine the Western democracies.
He added that Russia has been trading technology with Iran and China in exchange for war equipment to fuel Putin's illegal war against Ukraine.
