Iran, Russia need to boost strategic economic cooperation: President Raeisi

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi has said that having successfully developed their diplomatic relations, Tehran and Moscow now need to enhance their “strategic economic cooperation.”

Raeisi highlighted the need for the expansion of Iran-Russia ties in a Sunday meeting with the new Russian Ambassador to Tehran Alexey Dedov.

“Iran and Russia have good grounds for cooperation in bilateral, regional and international fields,” he said.

The Russian ambassador, who submitted his credentials to President Raeisi, said the continuous development of all-out economic cooperation with Iran is among his country’s priorities.

Dedov added that Western countries have lost hope in their sanctions policy due to the expansion of strategic economic cooperation between Tehran and Moscow.

Tehran and Moscow both have been targeted with US-led sanctions in recent years, but the sanctions have failed to secure Western countries’ interests.

Russia has been targeted with draconian sanctions following its February “special military operation” in neighboring Ukraine. The US has also tightened its sanctions on Iran since 2018, when Washington unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear accord in pursuit of a more confrontational policy toward Tehran.

Implementation of Iran-Venezuela deals can strengthen cooperation: Raeisi

In a separate meeting with Venezuela’s new Ambassador to Tehran José Rafael Silva Aponte, Raeisi said that during a June visit to Tehran by his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro, the two sides signed fruitful agreements to expand their relations.

The implementation of these agreements can help the two countries use their capacities in different fields to further develop cooperation, the Iranian president added.

In the presence of the Iranian and Venezuelan presidents, the two countries’ high-ranking officials signed a 20-year partnership agreement aimed at bolstering cooperation in various fields between Tehran and Caracas.

The partnership agreement includes cooperation in the fields of science, technology, agriculture, oil and gas, petrochemicals, tourism, and culture.

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