Hommam Al Nassim 
Russia and China expressed their willingness to strengthen military cooperation with Iran at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Friday that brought together the foreign ministers of the three countries.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, that Russia is ready to expand military and technical cooperation with Iran, RIA reported.
Shoigu stressed that contacts between the military departments of the two countries have increased significantly in the recent period.
For its part, the German Press Agency announced that Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun reached an agreement with his Iranian counterpart to strengthen military cooperation between the two countries.
Iran’s defense minister said: “There is a need to improve cooperation and rapprochement on both sides to solve regional and international security problems.”
The Iranian minister’s statement came after the meeting held in the Kazakh capital Astana, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA).
In its quest to find new partners, Tehran joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization last year, and at the beginning of the year, it joined the BRICS, and its core members are Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
China has become Iran’s main oil consumer and important economic partner, and the two countries signed a 25-year cooperation agreement in 2021.
Sudan confirms its commitment to establishing a Russian naval base in the Red Sea