Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani has expressed Tehran's readiness to expand joint military drills with China as part of a bid to further develop bilateral strategic ties and counter the West’s persisting unilateralism.
Underlining that the United States is currently engaged in fomenting crisis and tension in Eastern Europe and West Asia, Ashtiani insisted during a Saturday meeting with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in India's capital of New Delhi that “American policies are a common threat to Iran and China; we are against a unipolar world.”
Stressing that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has turned into an influential organization in global developments, Ashtiani said the expansion and consolidation of the SCO is an effective step towards promoting multilateralism in the international arena.
The Iranian defense chief further pointed to significant changes in the regional and international issues, and added that the two countries have invariably collaborated to thwart the implementation of “unilateralist and totalitarian approaches” pursued by the West in independent countries.
The defense minister referred to last month’s joint naval drills between Iran, China and Russia, dubbed Maritime Security Belt exercise 2023, saying, “This showed that the three countries are against the hegemonic views of the West and the United States, and we are ready to expand joint drills and exercises in the fields of sea, land, and air defense quantitatively and qualitatively.”
Ashtiani further state, “It will be very useful and productive for both sides to continue the dialogue and engage in exchanges of military defense and intelligence delegations at different levels.”
Ashtiani also lauded shared cultural and historical relations between Iran and China, saying the political will of the leaders of the two countries as well as the understanding and adoption of common positions towards international developments are of strategic value.......more below
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova earlier said that the treaty provides for various forms of bilateral cooperation.
The comprehensive strategic partnership agreement between Russia and Iran has entered into force, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali told Sputnik.
"It is already binding," Jalali said when asked about the date of entry into force of the agreement, as well as whether Iran had notified Russia of the completion of internal procedures.
He recalled that the treaty was ratified by both chambers of the Russian parliament, and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed it. At the same time, the document was ratified by the Iranian parliament, approved by the Guardian Council, and the president issued it as a law.
"Therefore, in both countries it currently has the form of a law and, naturally, has entered into force," Jalali said.
On January 17, Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, met in Moscow to sign the Comprehensive Strategic ...
Defying the United States threats, ministers from more than 30 nations have packed Bogotá’s San Carlos Palace to charge the Israeli regime with genocide over its October 2023-present brutal military assault against the Gaza Strip.
The dramatic display of international solidarity saw dozens of high-ranking officials from across the globe convene inside the stately palace on Tuesday, determined to hold the regime accountable for, what they unequivocally called, a “war of genocide.”
The two-day emergency summit, organized under the auspices of The Hague Group -- a coalition co-chaired by Colombia and South Africa -- had representatives, ranging from such countries as Algeria and Brazil to Pakistan and Spain, in attendance.
The participants described the drive as a coordinated effort to stop the Israeli atrocities.
Behind closed doors, ministers and envoys, meanwhile, engaged in intensive sessions aimed at drafting collective measures to pressure the regime -- steps expected to be unveiled by ...
