TEHRAN - Iran and Russia will maintain bilateral military cooperation, Kazem Jalali, Iran’s ambassador to Russia told Sputnik in an interview, adding that U.S. sanctions will not impact his country’s military capabilities nor its scientific research.

“This behavior of the United States will continue in the future, and the reason is that the U.S. no longer enjoys the dominance of the past. It wants to say that it is the world’s number-one power, while that is not the case as there are several countries that have caught up and overtaken it," Jalali stated, discussing the latest U.S. sanctions against Iran.

The Iranian ambassador also called on countries subject to U.S. sanctions such as Russia and China to join Iran in countering these sanctions and showing their illegal nature.

“Russia, China, Iran and other countries subjected to sanctions should stand together and show that the forceful use of instruments of power on the international scene is an illegal act that may lead to harmful consequences for countries and peoples,” Jalali pointed out.

 Ambassador says ties are ‘very important and strategic’

According to a Fars News report, Jalali also described Tehran-Moscow relations as “very important and strategic,” saying a financial mechanism has been established between the two to reduce dependence on the U.S. dollar.

“Some try to imply that these relations are not strategic and based on a few agreements that are signed between the two sides but it should be underlined that these agreements are very important and that Tehran-Moscow relations are deepening day by day,” the ambassador said. “We are making consultations and discussions on various issues including important political and international issues. We regularly make consultations and closely cooperate with each other and support each other.”

Jalali underlined the need to reduce dependence on the U.S. dollar in the two countries’ trade relations. According to Jalali, nearly 40% of the trade between Iran and Russia is done with their national currency.

“And this means that we have made progress in this regard,” the ambassador noted.

PA/PA