TEHRAN – Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree appointing a new ambassador to Iran, according to a TASS report. 

Putin appointed Alexey Dedov as the new ambassador to Iran, replacing Levan Dzhagaryan, TASS said. 

The corresponding decrees were published on the official legal information website Thursday.

"Appoint Dedov Alexey Yuryevich as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Islamic Republic of Iran," one document reads.

Another decree relieves Levan Dzhagaryan from this office. Putin appointed him as Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Earlier, Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali had announced that Russia has appointed a new envoy to Iran.

Dedov will replace Levan Dzhagaryan, one of the longest-serving Russian diplomats in Iran.

Jalali broke the news on Twitter after meeting the newly-appointed Russian ambassador. 

“Today I had a meeting with Alexey Dedov. He will soon start working as Russia's new ambassador to Iran. Both sides emphasized that the relations between Iran and Russia are in one of the best historical periods,” Jalali said.

Russia and Iran maintain good relations and recently the Iranian foreign minister paid a visit to Moscow where he pursued mediation between Russia and Ukraine with the purpose of ending the war in Ukraine. 

In late August, the Iranian foreign minister paid a visit to Moscow, where he met Lavrov. The Iranian foreign minister was tasked to mediate between Russia and Ukraine. 

Before heading to Russia, Amir Abdollahian said that a Western European country had asked Iran to offer its good offices to put an end to the war in Ukraine. 

Fars News also said a recent phone call between Amir Abdollahian and Lavrov might have been used to relay Russia’s response to the Iranian mediation.

During a press conference held with his Russian counterpart during his visit to Moscow, Amir Abdollahian said that he had discussed with him the message sent by European leaders to the President of the Islamic Republic to help with achieving a ceasefire and peace in Ukraine.