TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Iran has touched on its strategic relations with Russia and China, saying the Islamic Republic will never forget true friends who sided with it in hard times.
"Iran and Russia enjoy historical and special relations, and despite the ups and downs in bilateral relations in different eras, especially in the past two centuries, we have been witnessing special relations with Russia since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, especially in recent years,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said. 
Russia, he said, has stood firm with the Islamic Republic despite the sanctions and pressures of the U.S. and other Western states and their economic terrorism against Iran, he said.
"Accordingly, Iran has separated Russia and China from other countries in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), including Britain and Germany,” Mousavi added.
The remarks come against the backdrop of increased tensions between Iran and the U.S. Washing has ratcheted up pressure on Iran since last year after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA.