MOSCOW (Dispatches) -- Iran’s foreign minister on Wednesday warned about the occupying regime of Israel’s presence in the Caucasus, stressing Tehran will not tolerate a geopolitical change in the region.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran is deeply concerned by Israel’s presence in the Caucasus,” Hussein Amir-Abdollahian said at a press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov here.
Tehran “will not accept any change of maps in the region,” he added.
Iran, he said, expects Russia to be sensitive to any potential changes in the regional borders and the presence of terrorists and the Zionist regime that threaten regional peace and stability.
Iran launched a drill, codenamed Fatehan-e Kheybar (Conquerors of Khaybar), in the northwest of the country on Friday, in line with efforts to boost its defense and deterrent capabilities in the face of potential threats.
Amir-Abdollahian also said Iran and Russia “have agreed to discuss a treaty on strategic cooperation in the future, and soon, we will have a draft and we will issue a road map that will be the basis of our long-term cooperation.”
He lauded bilateral relations between the two countries but underlined the need to “make a leap” in this regard.
He also praised his “fruitful” talks with his Russian counterpart on regional issues, including Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and the Palestinian issue.
He also said Tehran is ready to make arrangements for Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi to visit Tehran.
“We welcome any visit by the IAEA head to follow up on technical issues,” Amir-Abdollahian said, but expressed Iran’s dismay over the failure of the UN nuclear agency to condemn the terrorist incident at a nuclear facility in Karaj in north-central Iran.

For his part, Lavrov said he discussed with his Iranian counterpart specific ways to expand cooperation between the two countries “in bilateral projects based on the agreements achieved on the highest level.”
“We have a stable growth of trade, which despite the COVID-19 pandemic and sanctions increased by 42 percent” this year, he said, adding, “We have agreed to boost our economic cooperation further and develop economic ties.”
He also rejected U.S. push for a West-style world order. “We oppose the rules-based world order that is promoted by the U.S. and its Western allies that are trying to impose on all international players.”