Lawmakers in Russias lower-house State Duma on Tuesday ratified a 20-year strategic partnership treaty with Iran, deepening military and political ties between the two countries as they remain under heavy Western sanctions.The pact,signed by President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in January,aims to strengthen cooperation in areas including defense, intelligence sharing, trade and nuclear energy.The agreement takes [Russian-Iranian relations] to a fundamentally new level, Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said last week ahead of the vote.One of the treatys key provisions commits Russia and Iran to counter shared security threats, exchange intelligence and refrain from aiding an aggressor if either country is attacked.Unlike a similar agreement with North Korea ratified in October, the Iran treaty does not appear to include a clause allowing the deployment of troops to support military operations.The signing of the treaty does not mean the establishment of a military alliance with Iran or mutual military assistance, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said in an address to the State Duma.The treaty also promotes investment in oil and gas development, joint long-term projects in peaceful nuclear energy and the creation of a payment system independent of third countries that uses national currencies.In January, Putin called the partnership treaty a breakthrough document, while Pezeshkian said it would open a new chapter in relations between Iran and Russia in all fields.The timing of that signing just three days before United States President Donald Trump took office was seen as a signal to Washington.On Monday, Trump announced direct nuclear talks with Iran to be held this coming weekend, after first threatening military action if Tehran refused to negotiate.Russia welcomed the United States initiative and announced separate expert-level talks with China and Iran on nuclear issues in Moscow on Tuesday.AFP contributed reporting.