Ayatollah Khamenei Asks for Iran, Russia Cooperation to Stand against US Sanctions

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tehran on Wednesday.

The Leader welcomed President Putin's offer to further expand cooperation with Iran in all areas, saying the useful experiences of recent years in bilateral relations and settlement of regional crises have to be used for expansion of ties.

"US coalition supporting terrorists in Syria is an undeniable fact, but they continue to plot conspiracies, hence to resolve Syrian issue completely it is necessary to continue firm and sustained cooperation," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The Leader noted that Tehran and Moscow's proper resistance and cooperation against terrorists' sedition and corruption in Syria are very meaningful and have made Russia influential in West Asia.

"All issues and solutions on Syrian government should emerge from inside Syria, and Syrian government should not be pressured (from outside) at all to implement any plan and the plans should be as comprehensive as possible for the entire region," Ayatollah Khamenei added.

The Leader called for cooperation to counter US sanctions against Iran and Russia, saying, "By ignoring the negative propaganda of the enemies who seek to weaken relations between countries, we can nullify US sanctions, using methods such as eliminating the dollar and replacing it with national currencies in transactions between two or more parties; thus, isolate the Americans."

Ayatollah Khamenei called President Putin a strong human, determined to make decisions and take action, stating, "That's why sensible discussions and cooperation on big movements, which requires determination and hard work, is possible with Russia as a powerful state."

Ayatollah Khamenei also deemed Putin’s proposal acceptable for furthering regional cooperation in various dimensions.

The Leader of the Revolution agreed with the Russian president’s speech about the JCPOA and the necessity of complying with multilateral treaties, adding, "The Americans, unfortunately, continue their rebellion, which must be addressed by relying on reason and correct methods."

Ayatollah Khamenei approved of Vladimir Putin's position on solving the regional issues without external parties, and reminded him, "The Americans seek to interfere in all issues of the region and the world, and to do so, they rely on weak authorities in other countries."

Putin held separate meetings with Iranian leaders in Tehran on Wednesday to discuss bilateral ties and the latest regional developments.

The Russian president who visited Iran to participate in the trilateral meeting of Tehran-Moscow-Baku, held a meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei on Wednesday afternoon.

He also met with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani in the capital city of Tehran on Wednesday to discuss economic cooperation, the nuclear deal and regional issues, specially the latest conditions in Syria.

Putin arrived in Tehran on Wednesday, heading a high-ranking delegation, to hold talks with the Iranian officials on ways to further develop ties and cooperation.