Russia’s Shoigu Hails Moscow-Tehran Ties

During a visit to Iran, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that relations between Moscow and Tehran are “reaching a new level” despite opposition from much of the West. 

"We are aiming at an entire range of planned activities, despite opposition from the United States and its Western allies," Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Shoigu as saying on September 20. 

"Sanctions pressure on Russia and Iran shows its futility," the minister added.

Shoigu traveled to Tehran on September 19 with a high-level military delegation amid deepening bilateral ties, particularly in the military sphere, as both Russia and the Islamic Republic are facing increasing international isolation.

The European Union, the United States, the UK and other countries have imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Russia over its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In recent months, the West has also slapped the Islamic Republic with a raft of punitive measures over its bloody crackdown on dissent and its supply of drones to Russia for its war effort in Ukraine. 

Tehran has acknowledged sending drones to Russia, but it claims that the deliveries took place before Russia's invasion in Ukraine, despite widespread evidence to the contrary.