Iran Says Iran-Russia Relations Enter New Phase

Iran Says Iran-Russia Relations Enter New Phase

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Iran's Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani on Thursday said that Iran-Russia relations have entered a new phase, adding his Russian counterpart Igor Sergeyev's visit has met the strategic objectives of both countries.

At a joint press conference with the Russian defence minister, shamkhani reiterated that Iran's development of missile technology is in line with its national interests and for peaceful ends.

Iran relies on its indigenous strength and domestic hardware and software potentials for national security, he said, adding that his country has gained power in guiding and controlling various kinds of missiles.

Meanwhile, Sergeyev said that Iran and Russia are determined to start a new phase of military and technical cooperation.

The suspension of defense cooperation between Iran and Russia since 1995 had inflicted irreparable damages to both parties, he said.

The Russian minister also said that he had held discussions with Iranian officials on security-related issues, military cooperation and the threats facing both countries.

Sergeyev arrived here on Tuesday for a three-day visit, the first by a Russian defense minister since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.

During his visit, Sergeyev held talks with President Mohammad Khatami, his counterpart Shamkhani and other senior political and military officials on the expansion of military cooperation, regional security and other topics of common concern.

He also visited military and industrial bases in Tehran and the central industrial city of Isfahan to see what Russia can do to help Iran improve its military technology.

The visit came only one month after Moscow announced that it would no longer observe a five-year-old secret deal with Washington that banned Russia from selling arms to Iran.

The move prompted threats of economic sanctions from Washington, which has long prohibited other countries from shipping arms to Iran, a country it accuses of sponsoring international terrorism and trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction.