Relations With Russia Vital Amid Mounting US Pressure

Relations between Iran and Russia take on a special significance as a result of Washington’s increased pressure and sanctions, a senior diplomat said on Monday before meeting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin.
"We held a very good meeting in April in Nur-Sultan [Kazakhstan’s capital], where we discussed the changes happening in the region. I hope that we will continue this conversation today," Iranian Foreign Minister’s Senior Aide for Political Affairs Ali Asghar Khaji told reporters on Monday, TASS reported.
"Our relations are based on good neighborliness and they are strategic. I hope that we will discuss various aspects of key issues," he said. 
"Today, we will hold consultations on international and regional issues. Amid the circumstances of US pressure and its illegal sanctions against Iran and Russia, bilateral relations take on vital significance."
Khaji thanked Russia "for its stance and steps related to the unlawful actions of the US".
"Our consultations will facilitate peace at regional and global levels, as well as the decisive fight against terrorism," he said.
In the meeting, the two diplomats discussed several international issues, including efforts to launch the Syrian constitutional committee as a crucial stage of the peace process in the war-ravaged Arab country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"The two sides discussed a number of pressing international and regional issues on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. They discussed the tasks of sustainable political settlement, particularly in Libya, Yemen, Palestine and in the Persian Gulf. A lot of attention was paid to the situation in Syria and around it, with an emphasis on the task of the early formation and launch of the constitutional committee in Geneva," the foreign ministry said.