TEHRAN- Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Monday that external pressure and sanctions cannot prevent her nation’s collaboration with Iran.

She emphasized that the continuous unlawful limitations will only strengthen the two countries’ ties.

Zakharova stated that Iran and Russia “are establishing mutually beneficial collaboration” while paying little attention to Western criticism.

“External pressure and sanctions are no obstacle for that. Rather quite the opposite, the illegitimate restrictions even have the ability to help strengthen the positive tendencies of the growth in Russia-Iranian trade, which had emerged over the past years,” Zakharova stated, according to the TASS news agency.

The Russian official highlighted how Tehran and Moscow’s commercial cooperation increased by 20.2% in 2022 and “almost surpassed five billion U.S. dollars.”

“Businessmen are entering new markets and occupying product niches. Logistics and payment infrastructure are being enhanced,” she stressed.

The spokesperson said that it “creates conditions for the ongoing growth of bilateral cooperation, particularly in the trade-and-economic arena.”

The two nations are striving toward defending the interests of their respective nations, she stressed.