TEHRAN, July 5. /TASS/. The West wanted to defeat Russia and Iran, but that's not going to happen, deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, elite units of the Iranian army) General Hossein Maroufi told TASS.

"Relations between Iran and Russia are in the nature of a strategic partnership. Our opponents from the West tried to strike at us together some time ago, but thanks to the wisdom and will of God, this was not destined to happen," he said at a farewell ceremony for former supreme leader of the Islamic Republic Ali Khamenei.

"Russia is an ally country and stands by the Islamic Republic. Russian President [Vladimir Putin] has visited Iran on several occasions, and our President [Masoud Pezeshkian] and other officials regularly visit Russia. We are neighbors, and good neighborliness has been a hallmark of our relationship throughout history right up to the present day. The beautiful Russian people also took the death of our leader [Ali Khamenei] with pain. Russia has been our partner, and it will always remain so. There is no doubt about it," the general added.