TEHRAN- Russia has said that it is working on a new major agreement with Iran, following the ratification of a bill by the Iranian parliament concerning cooperation in information security with Moscow.

According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, as the two long-standing allies develop tighter bilateral ties, Moscow and Tehran intend to expedite work on a “new major interstate agreement.”

The news was announced by the Russian Foreign Ministry in a brief statement on Tuesday, stating that the foreign ministers of the two nations has decided over the phone to go forward with the agreement more quickly, citing it as being at “a high stage of readiness.”

The nature of the deal was not specified in the announcement, but it comes amid strengthening of political, commercial, and military connections between Moscow and Tehran, both of which are sanctioned by the U.S. and oppose Western unilateralism.

Tehran and Moscow agreed to a 10-year cooperation agreement in 2001, which was extended by two further five-year periods to a 20-year agreement.

A bilateral long-term strategic cooperation agreement between the two nations is about to be signed, and this agreement could shape their future ties for the next 20 years.

Presidents of Iran and Russia had lengthy discussions in the Kremlin last week, with Vladimir Putin praising Tehran-Moscow relations as “very good.”

“We have very good relations with Iran. And we will enhance them in every possible way... That is why we do our utmost in order to develop relations with Iran, and will keep this up in the future,” Russia’s TASS news agency quoted Putin as saying.

At the meeting, the Iranian president said it is “essential” to immediately stop the Israeli “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.

He also said what is more painful is that the United States and other Western countries are backing the Zionist regime in its crimes in Gaza and the international bodies and the self-proclaimed human rights organizations have lost their relevance.

The Iranian president said the cruelty against the people of Gaza has “turned into the greatest headache for humanity in today’s world”.

He added, “Gaza is a land in which one child is martyred every 10 minutes.”

The president went on to say that unilateralism and unfair global order are “causing pain for humanity” that an example of which can be clearly noticed in the war on Gaza.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Raisi said Iran and Russia have established good cooperation in areas of energy, agriculture, and knowledge-based companies and “better steps can be taken in line with the interests of the two countries and nations.”

Expressing delight over the growing ties, Raisi said cooperation with Russia is “highly important” in line with Iran’s “policy of neighborliness.”

Last week, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the Foreign Minister of Iran, and Sergei Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia, inked a deal to work together to oppose the unilateral sanctions placed on their respective nations.

During the phone call, Abdollahian expressed regret over the U.S. veto of the United Nations Security Council resolution and evaluated such action as permission for the continuation of the genocide against the residents of Gaza by the United States. 

He also underscored the necessity of immediate action to halt war crimes and increase humanitarian aid to the narrow strip of Gaza.

Lavrov, expressing satisfaction with the ongoing bilateral cooperation, emphasized the need for continued international efforts to achieve a ceasefire, increase humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza, and establish an independent Palestinian state in light of the current developments in the occupied territories of Palestine.

In September, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, accompanied by a senior military delegation, visited Tehran at the invitation of Major General Mohammad Baqeri, the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces.

As the globe shifts to a more multipolar order, Baqeri stated at the time that Tehran and Moscow are trying to draft a long-term military cooperation deal soon.