TEHRAN - Moscow and Tehran are preparing contacts at the highest level, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in St. Petersburg on Tuesday.

"Russian-Iranian contacts at the highest level are being prepared," Peskov said, according to the TASS news agency.

Earlier, Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi said Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi would visit Russia in the beginning of 2022 at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Iran and Russia have strengthened their elations in recent years. Moscow strongly supported Iran’s full membership at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Eurasian political, economic and security bloc that also includes China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, India, Pakistan.

Iran and Russia are also trying to develop their economic ties through the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).  Russia is also working actively to revive the 2015 nuclear deal – JCPOA.