Peskov: Moscow is ready to expand strategic relations with Tehran

Russia is ready to deepen cooperation with Iran in all areas, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. The statement comes at a time of increasing tensions over Iran's nuclear program and following the recent US-Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, which Moscow has condemned.

Peskov described the pressure exerted by European countries on Tehran as “excessive” and emphasized that the situation was “very complicated.” Russia considers Iran a strategic partner, and according to the Kremlin, relations are developing “dynamically.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy is scheduled to meet with Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, on Monday — less than a week after Larijani's meeting with the Kremlin chief, during which he delivered a message from Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian signed a strategic partnership agreement in January, but it does not include a mutual assistance clause. Moscow emphasizes that it supplies Iran with military equipment in accordance with international law, while Tehran has provided Russia with drones for use in the war against Ukraine.

In addition, Moscow has signed a contract worth $25 billion through the state-owned company Rosatom to build four nuclear power plants in Iran.

(reuters, max)