Russian Envoy Urges Closer Ties with Iran

In a meeting with senior adviser to the Iranian parliament speaker for international affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Levan Jagarian said Russia and Iran share many views and strategies on various issues, calling for efforts to maintain the level of relations.

Russia supports the expansion of cooperation with Iran in various issues of mutual interest, Jagarian added.

For his part, Amir Abdollahian hailed the successful cooperation between Iran and Russia in Syria, and denounced the Israeli regime’s provocative military actions in the Arab country as a serious threat to regional security.

“The Zionists will be the real loser in warmongering across the region,” he said.

Iran and Russia have formed a strong alliance in recent years, with both supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s legitimate government against foreign-backed militancy.

Conflicts erupted in Syria back in 2011, when a small group of opposition forces took up arms against Damascus. Soon, however, a mix of international terrorists and paid mercenaries mingled with and then largely sidestepped the armed Syrian opposition groups, effectively turning the Arab country into a battlefield for foreign governments opposed to the Syrian president.

But the Syrian military, with advisory military help from Iran and Russia — and a Russian aerial bombardment campaign — has retaken control of much of the country, and the conflict is generally believed to be winding down.