Araqchi : Iran-Russia cooperation closer than ever

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, said Tuesday that cooperation between Tehran and Moscow has never been closer, during Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov's first visit to Iran since the war in the Middle East began.

"Never in our history have Iran and Russia worked together as closely as today," Araqchi wrote on X.

Lavrov arrived Monday, his first trip to Iran since U.S.-Israeli strikes began in late February. In early October, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that Russia was ready to help mediation efforts in the conflict.

The two ministers discussed Lebanon, Palestine, Ukraine and Yemen, as well as stronger economic and nuclear cooperation, according to the reports.

Russia and Iran, two of the world's most heavily sanctioned countries, have close political ties, and their military and economic partnership has deepened markedly since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

"Russian-Iranian cooperation continues to develop dynamically, despite the well-known circumstances," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement. "We have a solid base to keep making progress at a steady pace."