Russia's top security official meets Iran's military chief of staff

Russia's national security chief Sergei Shoigu met Iran's armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri in Tehran, amid reports that Iran and its allied armed groups are preparing for a retaliatory attack against Israel.

Iran and Russia have been drawn closer in recent years, forming an unofficial alliance against 'western powers' led by the United States.

"The US knows well that the world has moved beyond unipolar power," Iran's military chief of staff Bagheri said in his meeting with Shoigu, according to official reports. He also said Tehran "welcomes trilateral cooperation with Russia and China."