TEHRAN -- Iran and Russia discussed international security and strategic stability issues at Russia's Foreign Ministry in Moscow Thursday, the ITAR-TASS news agency said.

The two sides, represented by Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad-Javad Zarif, discussed missile and nuclear non-proliferation, exports control and bilateral cooperation on a peaceful use of nuclear energy, the agency said as carried by IRNA.

Nuclear energy cooperation between Tehran and Moscow has stirred up unease in Washington, claiming that it could enable the Islamic Republic to acquire weapons of mass destruction.

Both Tehran and Moscow have repeatedly rejected these claims, with Iran opening the plant to regular supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which has confirmed its intention for peaceful means.

"Russia and Iran have sufficiently vast and concrete cooperation within the scope of the requirements set by the non-proliferation of missile and nuclear technologies (treaty)," ITAR-TASS cited an expert at the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying.

The Russian-Iranian cooperation in the field of nuclear energy does not undermine the non-proliferation treaty and exclusively focuses on economic demands, the expert further said.

Russia and the U.S. decided during a recent visit of President George W. Bush to Moscow to set up a consultative group, headed by the two countries' foreign and defense ministries, on strategic security.

The group will help build mutual confidence, expand transparency, exchange information and discuss strategic issues of mutual importance.

Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi on Sunday welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin's position in defending nuclear cooperation between Tehran and Moscow during President Bush's visit to that country.

"President Putin's recent stance on Iran is in accordance with the national interests of that country," Kharrazi said, adding nuclear cooperation between the two countries is `legitimate' and `transparent'.

"Cooperation between Iran and Russia in the field of technology is clear and it is a natural right of the Russian president to defend this cooperation," he added.