Tehran, Iran— In a defiant posture toward the West, Russia has declared that it will continue to enhance military cooperation with Iran, despite what it termed as enemies’ opposition to the ties between the two countries.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Russian Federation Sergei Alexeyevich Ryabkov said that the military cooperation between Iran and Russia will continue despite the enemies’ opposition, adding that Russia is committed to cooperation with its friendly countries like Iran.
Speaking to the journalists on the sidelines of the Tehran-hosted “Iran and BRICS” on Tuesday, the Russian deputy foreign minister said that the “legitimate” and “very substantial” cooperation between Iran and Russia will continue despite all attempts by enemies of Iran and Russia to disrupt and derail that cooperation.
“We have full right to develop and enhance this cooperation firm political resolve to do so. Leaders guide us in that area,” he said.
Ryabkov further pointed to the exchange of visits by Russian and Iranian administrative and military officials, stressing that “military people will also seek further contacts and further interaction.”
The Russian diplomat further said the revival of the Iran nuclear deal hinges on the decision of the United States and European participants in the JCPOA, expressing certainty that the Iranian friends are ready for the JCPOA revival.
He advised the United States to stop the approaches adopted by the previous government and return to its commitments.
The senior Russian diplomat continued to note that the US is no longer a participant in the JCPOA, urging Iran to continue cooperation with the IAEA without taking into account Washington’s violations of its commitments.
This senior Russian diplomat also said about his meeting with Ali Bagheri Kani, the deputy Iranian foreign minister for political affairs in Tehran yesterday and said they had a routine meeting and a good exchange of views on issues related to Iran’s nuclear program. He added that the two countries’ teams in Vienna and New York worked well together and they exchanged views on the implementation of Resolution 2231.
In that regard, Russia and Iran have good cooperation in various fields, according to Ryabkov.
Ryabkov further said that he and Bagheri Kani also talked about BRICS. He described Iran as a strong candidate for cooperation with BRICS. He further asserted that the two diplomats also talked about Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and that he had invited Bagheri to travel to Moscow for a face-to-face exchange of views.
Ryabkov went on to note that the due time will arrive for Iran to become a full member of BRICS while it is not possible to announce the exact time of Iran’s membership.
He further pointed out that the Russians and the BRICS members are reviewing the regulations for the accession of new members to the group, which will be decided at the upcoming summit in Johannesburg.
He stated that Russia supports Iran’s membership in the BRICS group.