Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev hailed on Wednesday the "very close" ties between Moscow and Tehran during a visit Iran that has jangled US nerves about arms sales to the Persian country.
Sergeyev, the first Moscow defense chief to visit Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, made the remarks after a first round of talks with his Iranian counterpart, Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, state television reported.
He said the two sides had discovered they had "very close" positions on a range of issues discussed Wednesday, including security in central Asia and joint military cooperation.
"Our talks have been very positive, and we have learned that that we share very similar interests and positions," the television quoted him as saying.
Sergeyev's visit comes after Russia announced it was withdrawing from a 1995 agreement barring conventional arms sales to Iran, which Washington accuses of trying to develop a nuclear weapons program.
The White House raised the threat of economic sanctions, but Moscow has shrugged off the complaints.
Sergeyev said on arrival Tuesday that Russia "will not violate international agreements" and insisted that military contracts would be discussed but not signed during the visit.
Shamkhani, for his part, said the two nations had agreed to cooperate on "defense and security matters" and that future relations looked to be "brilliant."
The state IRNA news agency said Sergeyev and his military delegation had visited a factory where Iran's new Tempest-series anti-armor missiles are being manufactured.
He was scheduled to meet later with President Mohammad Khatami and Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi, as well as General Rahim Safavi, the head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards corps.
He was also due to visit the factory where the Islamic republic's new Iran-140 passenger plane, a joint venture with Ukraine, is being constructed -- TEHRAN (AFP)
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