Iran, Russia Diplomats Discuss Syria, Other Regional Issues

Hossein Jaberi Ansari, the Iranian deputy foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs, met with visiting Russian Deputy FM Mikhail Bogdanov in Tehran on Monday, discussing with him the advancement of Tehran-Moscow cooperation in the fight against international terrorism besides the ongoing Syrian conflict.

Iran and Russia have both been assisting the government in Damascus in its fight against a foreign-backed militancy. Iran has been offering advisory military help, and Russia has been conducting an aerial campaign against militant positions in the Arab country.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The United Nations (UN)’s Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

Jaberi Ansari and Bogdanov, who is the Russian presidential envoy on the Middle East and Africa, also discussed the promotion of bilateral ties and regional cooperation plus the implementation of a nuclear deal between Iran and six other countries, including Russia.

The deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was struck in July 2015 and started being implemented in January 2016.

Iran is in contact with its international partners — which, besides Russia, also include the United States, France, the UK, China, and Germany — to oversee the due implementation of the JCPOA.