Iran's Defense Chief In Moscow Discusses Afghanistan With Russia

In a visit to Moscow on Monday, the head of Iran’s Armed Forces Joint Staff Mohammad Bagheri said that Afghanistan is a special issue for bilateral discussions.

General Bagheri said that Iran has always had cooperation with Russian armed forces, and in recent years the cooperation has expanded.

“I have been invited by the Russian defense minister and in addition to bilateral military issues that need follow-up, Afghanistan is among special issues that both sides will discuss,” Bagheri maintained.

He added, “Events in Afghanistan definitely have impact on regional counties, including the Islamic Republic, the Russian Federation and others and we will talk about these.”

Iran and Russia are military allies in Syria since 2015, when Russia deployed its air force in the war-torn country to defend the rule of Bashar al-Assad. With ground forces Iran supplied and with Russian air power, the anti-Assad armed opposition was largely defeated.

Bagheri also spoke about defense cooperation with Russia since the lifting of a United Nations arms embargo on Iran last October and said Iran has plans of weapons purchases from Russia. He also stressed the need to continue cooperation in Syria.