Iran says it has ‘good cooperation’ with Russia, China in political, economic, military fields

ISTANBUL

Iran's foreign minister said Saturday that his country maintains close cooperation with Russia and China across political, economic, and military sectors.

Abbas Araghchi described the two countries as “strategic partners” of Iran in an interview with MS Now TV.

Araghchi made the comments when asked about reports suggesting Moscow and Beijing might be providing intelligence or military support to Tehran to attack American sites and facilities in the region.

“Russia and China are our strategic partners, and we have had close cooperation in the past, which is still continuous, and that includes military cooperation as well,” he said.

The Iranian minister declined to provide further details but added that Iran has “good cooperation" with these two countries “politically, economically, even militarily.”

Separately, the top Iranian diplomat said that “last night, they (the US) attacked Kharg Island and Abu Musa Island, and they have done it from the soil of our neighbors.”

“These last night attacks were tracked by our forces, and now it is clear that they were fired from the UAE. This is unacceptable,” he added.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump said that the US destroyed all military targets on Kharg Island and threatened to attack the island’s oil infrastructure if Iran continued to block ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Kharg Island is Iran’s main oil export hub, handling roughly 90-95% of the country’s crude exports, with around 1.7 million barrels per day last year. The island serves as a key component of Iran’s energy system and a vital source of government revenue.

Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since March 1, following the launch of joint attacks by Israel and the US against Iran on Feb. 28, which have so far killed around 1,200 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Hostilities have since escalated.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting “US military assets.”