The Kremlin said on Monday it did not agree with U.S. President Donald Trump’s assessment of Iran as “the number one terrorist state” and wanted to deepen what it described as already good ties with Tehran.
The Kremlin was responding to comments Mr. Trump made to Fox News in an interview aired at the weekend in which he complained that Iran had “total disregard” for the United States.
‘Partner-like relations’
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters that Moscow saw things differently. “Russia has friendly partner-like relations with Iran, we cooperate on a wide range of issues, value our trade ties, and hope to develop them further,” said Mr. Peskov.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin say they want to try to rebuild U.S.-Russia ties, badly damaged by Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and by Western sanctions imposed on Russia in response.
Mr. Peskov said there was no reason for policy differences over Iran to hinder such a rapprochement. “It’s no secret for anyone that Moscow and Washington hold diametrically opposed views on many international issues,” said Mr. Peskov. “That should not be an obstacle when it comes to forging normal communication and pragmatic mutually-beneficial relations...” Separately, Russia criticised the Trump administration’s move on Friday to impose sanctions on Iran after a recent ballistic missile test, saying the test did not violate existing agreements. — Reuters
