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 meeting on Sunday 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 have both 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 neighbouring 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.
Meanwhile, 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 had 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.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Raeisi told the Venezuelan ambassador that Tehran and Caracas enjoy very cordial relations.
The Iranian president, while receiving Aponte’s credentials, expressed hopes that effective steps will be taken to implement bilateral agreements during the new diplomat’s mission in Tehran.
He hailed the independence-seeking spirit of the Venezuelan people and said: ‘The current desire of the Americans to get close to Venezuela is not due to friendship but because of the US’s need for energy resources.’
The Venezuelan diplomat, for his part, hailed Iran’s support for his country and vowed to make the utmost efforts to expand economic cooperation between the two countries.
Also on Sunday, President Raeisi received the credentials of Malaysia’s new Ambassador to Tehran Khairi Bin Omar.
During their meeting, Raeisi said Iran has managed to take major steps towards development and progress despite all the sanctions and threats.
He expressed hopes that Iran and Malaysia would make use of their great capacities to further develop their bilateral cooperation.
‘The priority of the Iranian government is the development of economic, cultural and political relations with Muslim countries,’ he said.
Khairi, for his part, said Tehran and Kuala Lumpur have the capacities to increase interaction in the fields of trade, investment, education, science and technology, and tourism.
The Iranian president also held a meeting with Mali’s new ambassador to Tehran, Muhammad Maïga, where he said Tehran is ready to increase economic relations with various African countries, including Mali, while relying on its own huge capacities.
He said Iran has been pursuing plans to develop relations with African countries ever since the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The Iranian chief executive expressed hope that the new government of Mali would take great steps toward independence and development with the help of the country’s people.
He also condemned the West’s policy toward African countries, saying the Western countries went into Africa not to help its people but to plunder their wealth.
‘We believe that African countries, given their rich natural and human resources, will manage to achieve more progress through their own independence and without the interference of the West,’ Raeisi said.
He pointed out that the presence of Western countries in different parts of the world has only destabilised those regions and failed to establish security there.
- The commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Force says the military unit is now in a very good position to carry out drone operations and is capable of countering any kind of threat.
Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari said on Saturday that the Army’s Ground Force has managed to use new tactics and techniques, particularly in the fields of drones and aviation, during the Zolfaqar 1401 joint drills which were held earlier this month in an area spanning the country’s southern ports and waters to the northern tip of the Indian Ocean.
He added that the military units carry out exercises throughout the year to increase their preparedness in the face of any threat and to become aware of their points of weakness and strength.
The high-ranking commander said that the Ground Force has conducted various drills and succeeded in proving that it enjoys the highest combat readiness and defence capabilities in dealing with advanced threats.
Heidari emphasised that drones are among the important components of defence power in Iran’s Army and noted that the Armed Forces have managed to achieve the pre-determined objectives during the Zolfaqar 1401 drills by using domestically-manufactured equipment.
Zolfaqar 1401 drills featured parts of the infantry, armoured and mechanised units, surface, sub-surface and flying vessels, air defence systems, members of the marine commando force, and strategic bombers.
Advanced and homegrown Iranian air defence systems intercepted and shot down a number of hostile drones during the large-scale Zolfaqar 1401 joint drills in the southeastern part of Iran.
The exercises were meant to promote training and combat readiness and implement some operational and intelligence plans to improve the security of the region.
Back in September, Commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Major General Gholam-Ali Rashid, lauded the Islamic Republic’s outstanding drone power. Iran is now undoubtedly among the world’s top three drone powers,’ he said.
Iran has always made it clear that it will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, including its missile power, which are entirely meant for defence, and that its defence capabilities will never be subject to negotiation.
