According to Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Iran, Russia, and China are committed to collaborating on international peace efforts, as he stated in an interview with RT.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told RT that Iran, Russia, and China are planning to increase their collaboration to strengthen global peace and security.
In recent years, Tehran has been strengthening its relationships with Moscow and Beijing, joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in 2023 and the BRICS group in 2024. Military collaboration has grown as well, most recently with joint naval exercises conducted by the three nations off the coast of Iran in March.
Araghchi stated that, given the present international situation, close collaboration with Moscow and Beijing is “a necessity” for Tehran.
“For some time, we have been holding trilateral discussions between Iran, Russia, and China on Iran’s nuclear program,” he stated, adding that two meetings have already occurred. “We are prepared to continue these talks and broaden them to other topics,” the minister added.
Araghchi voiced confidence that “Iran, China, and Russia, in a coordinated effort, can take meaningful steps toward international peace.” He insisted that the three partners “are serious about this.”
Tehran’s top diplomat also stated that bilateral “relations between Iran and Russia have never been stronger or closer” than they are now.
“We now have a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement that elevates our relationship to a strategic level. We have major economic projects in progress. The amount of commerce between us has significantly increased,” he stated.
Despite severe Western sanctions against both Iran and Russia, the two countries “are not waiting for the sanctions to be lifted; instead, we are expanding our ties in this context,” Araghchi noted.
“We share similar and close viewpoints on numerous global challenges. I don’t want to imply that there are no disagreements between us. There are occasional differences in opinion, but in most cases, we have similar views, and, more importantly, we are constantly exchanging ideas,” he stated.
Earlier this week, Russia’s Federation Council unanimously approved the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between Russia and Iran, which was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Peseshkian in January. The agreement stipulates that the two countries will pursue equitable and mutually beneficial collaboration in politics, defense, economy, security, trade, investment, energy, infrastructure, and other sectors.