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Russia-Iran cooperation can be crucial for global stability — Khamenei’s adviser

According to the diplomat, even if economic relations between Iran and the West start developing after economic sanctions are lifted, political pressure on the Islamic Republic will not subside

Ali Akbar Velayati EPA/NABIL MOUNZER

Ali Akbar Velayati

© EPA/NABIL MOUNZER

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Closer Russia-Iran cooperation to change geopolitical situation in Middle East

MOSCOW, February 3. /TASS/. Relations between Iran and Russia, which are more than 500 years old, can be pivotal for peace and stability in the world and on the regional level, Ali Akbar Velayati, a foreign policy adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday. He was speaking at a round table at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS).

"Iran and Russia as neighboring countries have a long history and relations that are more than 500 years old and can be instrumental for creating peace, stability and tranquility in the world and on the regional level," Ali Akbar Velayati said. "Today we are witnessing valuable cooperation in the Middle East, western Asia, in Syria in combating terrorism."

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Saudi Arabia hopes to elbow Iran out of Syrian settlement talks

West’s political pressure on Iran will not subside after sanctions are lifted

According to the diplomat, even if economic relations between Iran and the West start developing after economic sanctions are lifted from Tehran, political pressure on the Islamic Republic will not subside.

"We are making efforts to reconstruct our relations with the West," Velayati told a roundtable at the Russian Strategic Research Institute. "However, this does not mean that West’s political pressure on us will not subside. Even if we develop economic relations, we will have fundamental political disagreements with them," he added.

In mid-January sanctions from Iran were lifted after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified Tehran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) on implementation of agreement on the nuclear program.

In accordance with the agreement reached on 14 July 2015, Iran will not produce weapons-grade plutonium and limit its stockpile of uranium enriched to 3.67% to 300 kilograms for the next 15 years. Tehran also agreed to modernize its nuclear facilities and use them for exclusively peaceful purposes.

Sanctions will be gradually removed from Iran. The arms embargo imposed by UN Security Council will be kept in place for five years, ban for supplying ballistic missile technologies to Iran - for eight years. Experts from IAEA will monitor nuclear facilities in Iran for the next 25 years. If any points of the agreement are violated by Iran, sanctions against the country will be renewed.

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