Russian, Iranian senior military officials discuss ties

Russia's Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin has held talks with the commander of Iran's ground forces, Brigadier General Kiomars Heidari, who is visiting Moscow leading the Iranian military delegation.

“Topical issues of bilateral military and military-technical cooperation were discussed. An exchange of views took place on issues of bilateral security. The parties confirmed their intention to deepen the dialogue and increase the level of development of contacts in the defence sector," Russia's Defence Ministry said on August 23, according to the state-owned news agency TASS.

Earlier, the commanders of the Russian and Iranian ground forces agreed to build up military cooperation during talks in Moscow.

On August 21, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that the commanders "reached agreements to further increase cooperation between the ground forces in various fields" during talks at the High Command of the Russian Ground Forces.

"Iran is considered by Russia as one of the key states in the Middle East - it is a strategic partner of Russia, and the constant intensive political dialogue is a characteristic feature of the current stage of our partnership," the commander-in-chief of the Russian Ground Forces, Gen Oleg Salyukov, said during the talks.