According to the Russian Satellite News Agency reported on the 20th, invited by Russian President Putin, Iranian President Lehi arrived in Moscow on the 19th and began a two-day visit. This is Lehi's first visit to Russia since he took office in August last year, and the media of the two countries have paid great attention to it.
Russian-Iranian President Meets to Discuss Bilateral Cooperation (Visual China)
During the visit, Lehi said Russia and Iran could stand together to resist pressure from the United States.
The Iranian leader met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday, where he stressed that Tehran is ready to build a "strategic" relationship with Russia, which does not depend on short-term factors. "In exceptional external circumstances, when the unilateral actions of Western countries, including the United States, are opposed, we can create synergies in cooperation," Lehi told Putin. ”
Lehi pointed out that U.S. and other Western sanctions have been futile in hindering Iran's development. Speaking at the meeting, Lessh said: "We have boycotted the United States for more than 40 years. Despite our efforts to lift sanctions, we will never stop Iran's development and progress because of sanctions or threats. ”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia hoped Lehi's visit would bring "a range of relationships" in light of the change in Iran's leadership.
During the Vienna talks, Russian support for Iran strengthened relations between the two countries. Shortly before Lehi's visit, Western media reported that Russia and Iran were planning further military-technical cooperation, including the possibility of signing a $10 billion contract to purchase Russian military equipment.
Iranian President Lehi (Visual China)
According to the Russian Satellite News Agency, the situation in Iran has been deteriorating since Trump was elected US president in 2017. In May 2018, the US government unilaterally withdrew from the Iranian nuclear agreement, followed by the implementation of the so-called "maximum pressure", restarting and adding a series of sanctions against Iran.
The first restrictions affected Iran's automotive sector, as well as gold and other metallurgical industries. The second ban prohibits Iran from exporting any raw hydrocarbons and hinders outside transactions related to Iran's central bank. In November 2018, Iran was cut off from the Global Institute of Banking Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) system. Further sanctions have limited the supply of some metals, coal and industrial equipment to Tehran.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has publicly threatened that Iran should succumb to pressure or "it will watch its own economy collapse."
At the same time, Iran has the third largest oil reserves after Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, and its export earnings are the main source of Iran's foreign exchange earnings. According to IMF estimates, the country's foreign exchange reserves fell to $86 billion in 2019, down 20 percent from 2013 levels.
Infographic (People's Vision)
The above sanctions and other restrictions have led to an unprecedented inflation rate of 35% in Iran, and the price of some food products has risen by more than 100%. What's more, sanctions have had the biggest impact on the Iranian people during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many companies that provide medicines and medical equipment needed to fight the coronavirus have stopped shipping to Iran.
Despite Western sanctions, Iran has focused its efforts on pursuing further development, and the government continues to allocate large amounts of money to areas such as scientific research.
(Editor: WDQ)