Tehran, Moscow Determined to Upgrade Strategic Ties 

President Ebrahim Raisi underlined Iran and Russia’s will to expand their strategic relations in various sectors, saying the ties are growing and have bright prospects. 
“Boosting regional cooperation is the best way to create peace and stability,” he said in a meeting with Secretary of National Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev in Tehran on Wednesday, President.ir reported.
He added that Iran’s principled policy is opposition to war, saying the escalation of war and expansion of its domain is a cause for all countries’ concern. 
His remark came in reference with Moscow’s war on Ukraine which started in February. 
The president also stressed the cooperation among independent countries is the strongest response to the policy of sanctions and destabilization pursued by the United States and its allies. 
Iran is under tough US sanctions which were imposed following Washington’s unilateral exit from the 2015 nuclear deal four years ago. 
Russia is also suffering western sanctions over its war in Ukraine. 
Patrushev highlighted Moscow’s active efforts to increase cooperation in political, trade, energy, agriculture and transit sectors. 
“The Iran-Russia joint economic commission is overseeing the implementation of agreements between the presidents of the two countries,” he said. 
He also expressed hope about the development of relations with the Islamic Republic within the framework of regional organizations. 
“Creating a multipolar world is in the interest of all countries,” he said. 

Strategic Relations 

The Russian official earlier met his Iranian counterpart Ali Shamkhani where they discussed bilateral ties, as well as a range of regional and international challenges.
Shamkhani stressed the importance of upgrading Tehran-Moscow cooperation in various sectors, calling for the improvement of multilateral cooperation under regional organizations, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, to exploit the exchangeable capacities of member states in a smart manner. 
Patrushev expressed satisfaction with the rising speed of bilateral cooperation, highlighting the two countries’ unwavering will to elevate their bilateral relations to a strategic level. 
“The most important purpose of my trip with my delegation to Tehran is to exchange views about speeding up the implementation of joint projects and prepare the ground for dynamic mechanisms for the start of new operations in economy, trade, energy and technology,” he said. 
Exploitation of common transit capacities, especially the quick completion of the North-South Corridor, is an effective step to improve the quality of economic and trade collaborations at bilateral and international levels, he added. 
Pointing to the dangers of terrorism and extremism, which continue to threaten the security of the region and the world, Shamkhani called for increased cooperation at regional and global level to counter this ominous phenomenon. 

Dialogue-based Initiative 

Shamkhani later underlined that dialogue and regional and international cooperation are the only ways out of the current crises.  
“Iran welcomes and supports any dialogue-based initiative that would lead to a ceasefire and peace between Russia and Ukraine and is ready to play a role to end the war,” he said. 
Russia launched “a special operation” in Ukraine on February 24, with a declared goal of demilitarizing the ex-Soviet country which had made a bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization despite Moscow’s warnings about such “purely destabilizing” measure. 
Since the start of the offensive, the United States and its European allies have imposed unprecedented sanctions on Moscow and been dispatching large shipments of weapons to Ukraine.
Patrushev criticized western media for presenting a false narrative of the Ukraine war. 
“The western media empire put it on their agenda from the first day to deviate public opinion by offering contradicting versions of the truth about the initiation of the crisis and the facts on the ground,” he said.  
The West has also accused Iran of giving weapons to Russia to be used in Ukraine. 
Iran has underlined its impartial position, denying allegations of weapons supply, although it admitted to providing drones for Russia months before the start of the conflict. 
The Iranian security official later elaborated on the aspects of the arrogant powers’ hybrid war against the Iranian nation and the effects of the US cruel sanctions. 
“Expanding bilateral and regional economic cooperation, especially with neighboring countries, is among the strategic priorities of the Islamic Republic,” he said, referring to Iran’s plans for neutralizing sanctions.  
He called for creating joint entities to counter the effects of sanctions and tapping into the potential of international organizations to oppose sanctions and countries that impose them. 
Patrushev slammed western countries, especially the US for seeking to impose their political will on independent countries through violation of the UN Charter and using a hybrid war. 
He stressed the need to pursue Tehran-Moscow’s joint plan of creating a Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations with the participation of countries that are under western sanctions. 

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