Officials Say A High-Level UAE Delegation To Visit Iran Soon

Raisi highlighted the need to conclude a new comprehensive agreement with Russia. "We are ready to conclude the document on long-term comprehensive cooperation between the two countries in order to accelerate the process of the further expansion of bilateral interaction," Tass news agency quoted him as saying.

The two presidents touched upon a series of regional issues, including Afghanistan and tension in the South Caucasus, the official IRNA news website said.

Rouhani also thanked Putin for Russia’s positions on Iran’s nuclear issue and the lifting of US sanctions, saying that Tehran insists on removing them.

Multilateral talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran are scheduled to resume in less than two weeks. Iran interrupted its participation in the talks in June and after a five-month delay and pressure by the West it has finally agreed to return to negotiations.

Raisi also thanked Russia for its efforts for “stability and calm in southern Caucasus, where after a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan last year tensions remain high. IRNA said the two sides emphasized that any geopolitical change of international borders in that region would not be acceptable.

Putin promised to expedite a 20-year cooperation agreement with Iran and help boost the level of bilateral economic and trade ties. He also highlighted cooperation in Syria and said, “We succeeded with a lot of effort to save Syria’s independence and destroy the nucleus of terrorists in that country’” IRNA reported.

Russia’s Tass news agency said that Raisi spoke about shared interests and emphasized that "the positions of Tehran and Moscow are close on many international issues. Opposing the unilateral approach and boosting multipolarity are the common features of the two states.”

Iran’s existing cooperation agreement with Russia dates to 2001 and it has been extended every five years, but last year Tehran asked to review and expand the agreement.

With its economy under the pressure of US sanctions, Iran has been trumpeting the need to expand ties with “the East”, meaning mainly Russia and China. It has also signed a 25-year strategic cooperation agreement with Beijing.

Iran International published on April 25 a three-hour confidential interview with Zarif meant to remain in government archives, that led to a political storm in Iran.

In the interview Zarif spoke about the interference of the military in Iran’s foreign policy, specifically referring to the role of former IRGC Quds force commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020.

At the time, President Hassan Rouhani ordered an investigation into who had leaked the tape to Iran International, which is not allowed to have a bureau or any presence in Iran.

The Judiciary’s spokesman told local media on Tuesday that many people have been interviewed about the leak, but the case is still pending.

In the interview Zarif had also mentioned that former US secretary of state John Kerry had divulged to him, possibly in 2017, that Israel was attacking Iranian targets in Syria. The information led to Congressional questions from Kerry, who denied ever having disclosed confidential information to Zarif.

Tehran signed a 25-year cooperation deal with China in March and is discussing a similar strategic agreement with Russia. Cavusoglu was speaking alongside Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

"Our delegations will work to determine a roadmap for a long-term comprehensive cooperation upon Iran's proposal,” said Cavusoglu, who arrived in Tehran Monday. The minister expressed hope this could be signed during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Tehran later this year for the seventh meeting of the two countries’ High-Level Cooperation Council.

"With the President of the Republic, we discussed our bilateral relations, including trade, investments, and the fight against terrorism, and the latest developments in our region,” the Turkish foreign minister tweeted after meeting with Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi (Raeesi) in his first visit since Raisi took office in August.

Cavusoglu described United States sanctions against Iran as "wrong,” and urged all parties to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which former US president Donald Trump withdrew in 2018, slapping ‘maximum pressure’ sanctions on Iran.

"Those who withdrew from this agreement in particular need to take the necessary steps," Cavusoglu said, adding that a positive outcome to the Vienna nuclear talks aimed at reviving the JCPOA was important for regional stability. Unlike Israel and Saudi Arabia, Turkey has supported the agreement.

Cavusoglu welcomed as promising increasing trade between Tehran and Ankara − up 71 percent in volume this year − but said it was "very far from our goals.” Bilateral trade stands at around $4 billion. Amir-Abdollahian told the press that obstacles in the way of trade between the two neighboring countries, presumably a reference to US ‘maximum pressure,’ required countermeasures to clear the way for more trade.

Cavusoglu said he had discussed security issues such as terrorism, migration, and human smuggling with his Iranian counterpart. Turkey has been a conduit for refugees from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, while Ankara and Tehran have intermittently cooperated against Kurdish groups, especially those linked to the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party).

Among regional issues where Ankara and Tehran saw eye to eye, Cavusoglu told the press conference, was Syria, where a political solution was needed, and over the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. "Our leaders and ministers of foreign affairs will get together in the near future," the minister said. Some analysts have argued Turkey’s priorities in Syria have long shifted from supporting the Sunni opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, an Iranian ally, towards containing the Syrian Kurds.

The visit comes despite tensions in bilateral relations over Azerbaijan and Turkey's recent announcement of an alleged Iranian plot to kidnap a former Iranian officer seeking asylum in Turkey.

Hassan Kazemi-Qomi was appointed by President Ebrahim Raisi (Raeesi) as special envoy in the aftermath of the Taliban victory in Afghanistan in August.

The Iranian embassy in Kabul had announced that Kazemi-Qomi would visit to negotiate with the Taliban over “regional issues, migrants, humanitarian assistance and the formation of an all-inclusive government.”

Iran initially welcomed the Taliban victory as a sign of US weakness and defeat but later it adopted a more cautious approach as attacks increased against Shiites in Afghanistan. Tehran has demanded that the Taliban ensure security for all citizens.

The Iranian envoy after arriving in Kabul said he would hold discussions about how to advance “constructive relations” between Afghanistan, Iran and regional countries. Other Iranian officials have been in contact with the Taliban since August.

Kazemi-Qomi, who is said to have been an officer in the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, served as the first Iranian ambassador to Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Defense Minister Diego Molano was quoted as saying that two months ago Colombia arrested and then expelled “two Hezbollah-sponsored criminals who had intentions to commit a criminal act in Colombia.”

The former Israeli agent was secretly taken out of the country when Israeli intelligence realized he was targeted by Hezbollah in a possible assassination attempt. Hezbollah presumably operates freely in neighboring Venezuela, which has close ties to Iran.

Molano was also quoted as saying there is a "risk with Hezbollah in Venezuela and what its relations with drug trafficking or terrorist groups on the Venezuelan side could generate for national security.”

Some reports in Colombian media say the plot was meant to avenge the killing of Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s top military and intelligence operative in the Middle East to was killed by a US drone attack in Baghdad in January 2020.

Colombian President Ivan Duque who visited Israel last week told local media that Colombia has a close relationship with Israel and is serious about preventing terrorism on its soil.