MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. Russia intends to continue cooperation with Iran, Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilyov told reporters.
He recalled that in February, before the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East, he participated in a meeting of the Russian-Iranian intergovernmental commission on cooperation as a Russian co-chair.
"This intergovernmental commission made many joint decisions. I believe it is a breakthrough, a good commission. And despite what is going on now, despite the conflict that has arisen, we will continue to work with Iran. In fact, we are continuing to do it," he noted.
The minister added that he believes in the prospects for cooperation.
"We see great potential in cooperation with Iran and believe that everything that is happening now with regard to Iran is illegal," Tsivilyov said.
The US and Israel launched an operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were hit. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The US administration openly called on the Iranian population to rise up against their own government and seize power. The strikes killed Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other key figures in the Islamic Republic's leadership. Iran launched retaliatory operations against Israel and US targets in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.