Russian official meets Raisi in Tehran, discuss dialogue & cooperation

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In a Tehran meeting, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, discussing cooperation in the security sphere, according to a statement by the Russian Security Council.

"Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi received Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev in Tehran. Various issues of Russian-Iranian cooperation in the security sphere, as well as a number of international issues were discussed at the meeting," the statement said. 

Patrushev also held talks with the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, Ali Shamkhani, on a number of international issues, including the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.

"Russian-Iranian consultations on security issues took place in Tehran. They were held by the Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Shamkhani with the participation of representatives of ministries and departments of the two countries," the statement said. 

"There was also an exchange of views on a number of international issues, including the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East."

The two held a detailed discussion on bilateral cooperation in the law enforcement sphere, including public security, and combating terrorism and extremism. 

"In addition, the issues of information security were considered, as well as measures to counter interference in the internal affairs of both countries by Western intelligence services," the statement said, revealing that they agreed to strengthen Russian-Iranian dialogue through the Security Councils.

The two countries' close collaboration comes against a backdrop of targeted and comprehensive sanctions waged by the West against them, which has prompted closer cooperation in the long run. The US-led world order has only polarized alliances further. 

The closer cooperation will ameliorate the aggressive impacts of the West-led sanctions on the two countries by locating new markets for their products and boosting military cooperation. Recently, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan called the ties a "profound threat".